


The Ice is Melting

by rubyrose



Category: Bucky Barnes - Fandom, Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Action, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Light Angst, Romance, Sexual Content, Violence, slight AU, strong female character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 22:51:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 48,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1619840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubyrose/pseuds/rubyrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were both breathing heavily and she felt a grin spread across her face. She wasn't dead. She had gone up against the Winter Soldier and she was now straddling his waist with a knife to his neck. </p>
<p>"Why are you smiling?" His voice had lost its aggression, now just sounding hopeless and sad. She stopped smiling.</p>
<p>                                                                                                                                          *******</p>
<p>Set after the events of Cap 2. In which, a former SHIELD agent and friend of Steve Rogers is forced to team up with the Winter Soldier when Steve is captured by Hydra (and kind of, maybe, accidentally ends up sleeping with him). But can they ever escape Hydra's grasp?</p>
<p>This is a little embarrassing.......... Both the story and the fact that I'm not too sure I want to/will finish it. Unless there is mass outcry from the non-existent avid fans of this work, I'm not sure it will be finished. I've changed massively as a person and writer since I began this fic, and just wouldn't write this now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Staying Alive

**Author's Note:**

> Please review and comment if you liked it! To save confusion: Alexus and Steve were good friends while SHIELD was still around, and they teamed up to find Bucky after it crashed. I know it kind of disregards the end of TWS, but just go with it (sidenote: for this reason, and the fact that none of the Avengers are mentioned, it's kind of an AU).
> 
> I haven't got a beta, so any mistakes are my own. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Alexus hit the ground running, ignoring the pain that shot up her legs from the impact. He was good, she had to admit. Carefully and silently working his way through each of her security measures. Taking his time, like any good assassin. Just not the one I'm looking for, she thought ruefully. 

Her hand slipped into her pocket as she sprinted away from the open window, fingers closing around a small device. She flipped off the safety and pressed the button without even taking it out of her pocket and listened to the satisfying explosion of what had been her home for the past week. He was good, she thought, but not good enough. 

Another version of herself would have cared about the man in the now burning building, even though he had been in the process of trying to kill her. But she had become battle hardened recently. An assassin breaking into her bedroom while she slept was common place now, and she had come to realise that dwelling on the consequences of their own stupidity was not worth her time. 

She slowed her pace to a jog, her heavy combat boots landing softly on the wet street. She could see the flames from behind her reflected in the puddles, an inferno standing out in the black night. Alexus swung a small bag off her back and dug out a set of keys as she jogged. She kept several safe houses and cars available for when situations like this arose. 

She briefly ducked into a dark alleyway as a police car whizzed by, en route the flames. Once it had passed she ran on to where she knew the car would be parked. It was unspectacular, ordinary and a sort of colour that made her feel vaguely sick. It was perfect. She threw her bag in the passenger seat and started the engine, a harsh frown creeping on her face as she pulled away from central Moscow.

She hated moving house. 

~~~~~~~ 

"Just tell us your knowledge of the Soldier's location, and there will be no more pain," the Russain man with the scarred face smiled. Or tried to. It came across as more of a scowl.

Steve's head hung low, his hands tied above his head and shackles on his ankles. He had no idea what they were made of, but presumed they had been designed specifically for people of his and Bucky's physical strength. Trying to break them was pointless; Steve had already used too much energy on that. He needed to conserve his strength. 

"I don't know his whereabouts," he said slowly. "I haven't seen him since the helicarrier incident." 

"You are lying!" the man shouted, striking him across the jaw and drawing blood. "If you won't talk, the pain will have to continue," he snarled, gesturing to a heavy set man standing in the shadows. "Gustav is an extremely experienced man. I will leave you two alone to... work things out, yes?" his scowl returned and a disturbing laugh left his lips as he exited the room. 

Steve readied himself as Gustav approached, praying that Alexus had found Bucky.

~~~~~~~

If Alexus had one wish, it would be that she had agreed to accompany Steve to the bar that cold November night so long ago. If she had just gone with him as he had asked her to, instead of staying in her apartment and watching Star Wars, he probably wouldn't have been overpowered and kidnapped by the few remaining HYDRA operatives. He wouldn't have been transported to a top secret facility that no one knew the location of. She wouldn't have had to go into hiding, and she certainly wouldn't have had to track down the Winter Soldier on her own. 

She sighed, taking the keys for the unwelcoming warehouse out of her bag. She had driven for a few hours, fighting exhaustion, and had finally arrived at this absolute dump; a deserted industrial warehouse, situated at the edge of a dirty and rundown town somewhere in western Russia. She turned the key and the door stuck, not opening fully until she hammered her boot into it a few times, cursing loudly. It finally swung open with a creak, revealing pitch black interior. 

Something felt strange right away. Her mother had always said she had sort of uncanny intuition, and right now it was telling her the warehouse wasn't deserted. Someone was already inside it. 

She knew she was at a disadvantage; the dim street lamps from outside were highlighting her every move. If someone was inside, watching her, they could see everything down to her facial expression. Meanwhile, she could see nothing. 

She stepped inside the threshold softly, securing her backpack on her shoulders and drawing her handgun from her thigh holster. She waited in silence, her eyes frantically darting through the blackness, hoping to see something, anything, and there- something reflected the street lamp light back at her. Something metal. 

Alexus went cold. He was here. The Soldier. She had no idea what state he would be in. Hurt? Angry? Still brainwashed? Her sharp green eyes fixed on the glimmer of silver of his arm. 

"I'm not here to hurt you," she spoke clearly, though her voice shook slightly. This was not how it was meant to be; the fight of her life and here she was - unprepared, exhausted and terrified. "I need your help." 

"My help," a low voice repeated slowly, as if trying to understand her. 

"Yes." She didn't dare to move. "Your friend, Steve Rogers-" Alexus didn't get any further. The flash of metal suddenly moved, his broad frame crossing the distance between them swiftly. She conditioned herself to relax and allowed him to pin her against the cold wall, his metal arm pressing against her throat. 

"He's not my friend!" he yelled, his blue eyes piercing hers. "What do you really want?" he growled, applying more pressure. 

What Alexus really wanted was a hot bubble bath, a massage and maybe some chocolate. His arm was becoming quite uncomfortable on her neck. She twisted her hip to the right and kicked her leg up, wrapping it around his waist and wrenching around, using her own momentum to spin him away from her. She then pushed off the wall, ducking under a punch she knew was coming and snapped her boot against the pressure point just under his sternum. He was off balance, they both knew it, and she took advantage of it. She took two quick steps forward and jumped, both her legs locking around his neck in a scissor hold, pulling him to the ground. She rolled to the side and immediately pinned his metal arm under her boot before straddling his body, her knife snapping to his neck and her other boot holding down his right arm. 

They were both breathing heavily and she felt a grin spread across her face. She wasn't dead. She had gone up against the Winter Soldier and she was now straddling his waist with a knife to his neck. 

"Why are you smiling?" His voice had lost its aggression, now just sounding hopeless and sad. She stopped smiling and cleared her throat.

"I don't want to hurt you. Understand?" she said slowly. He looked down at the knife resting on his throat and then looked back to her, his eyebrows slightly raised. She almost laughed. "This is precautionary."

"You're scared of me," he said flatly, his eyes still boring into her's. 

"Well, you did try to kill me," she frowned. Her words appeared to sting him; he visibly flinched and his eyes clouded with grief. 

"I don't..." He shook his head. "I don't want to kill anyone. Please don't make me kill anyone." 

Alexus felt her heart melt a little as she looked down at the broken man beneath her. "I'm not going to do that. I'm here to help you, okay?" He nodded slowly. She took a deep breath. "I'm going to get up. You're going to stay lying on the floor until I say so, got it?" He nodded again. 

She sheathed her knife and took her boots away from his arms, standing up quickly and retreating a few steps. He stayed flat on the floor, his startling blue eyes following her. She almost felt guilty when she drew her gun and aimed it at him.

"Okay," she nodded. "You can stand up." 

He got up slowly, like he was trying not to scare her. He briefly put weight on his right arm and he winced, immediately cradling it to his chest and using his left instead. Alexus frowned, and then looked at him in surprise as she put the pieces together. 

"Your arm is still broken," she said in astonishment. "From when you fought Steve." Now she had realised, it was obvious; he carried it carefully against his torso and it moved limply. 

"I didn't know how to..." he gestured with his metal arm. "They usually did it for me," he said with a hint of frustration. 

She realised he was talking about HYDRA and tried to imagine how hard being on his own must be; he wouldn't know how to do anything for himself. 

"Do you want me to set it for you?" she asked softly and he nodded, regarding her warily as she stepped towards him. She gestured to a questionable looking chair behind and he sat down. She cleared her throat awkwardly, "You'll have to take your top off." 

He showed no embarrassment as he stripped his leather clothing off, and nor should he, Alexus thought appreciatively. His chest was toned, his shoulders were broad and his arms - well arm, was thick with muscles. Her eyes lingered on his bare skin longingly. It had been too long since she'd seen a man naked.

Shaking her head, she swung the backpack off her back, digging out the small first aid kit she kept in there. Her gun was still in her right hand and she glanced at him, seeing his eyes following her every movement. He reminded her of a lost puppy.

"Damn it," she muttered and holstered her gun. "I'm putting this away, but if you try to kill me, I will re-break your arm," she said sternly.

"Okay," he said quietly. 

Alexus walked forwards until she was standing right in front of him, keeping her weight forward and ready to spring in any direction. She dragged another chair closer to him and sat on his right, starting to prod his skin, feeling for the break. She found it easily and he cried out, his metal hand forming a fist around the arm of the chair. 

"Sorry," she murmered.  

He was silent for a while as she worked. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I used to work for SHIELD. I'm sort of freelance at the moment, though," she laughed without humour. "You know, since they turned out to be Hydra."

"What's your name?" he had turned his neck to look at her, and she could feel his startlingly blue eyes focused on her as she worked. 

"Alexus," she said, glancing up. She could feel his warm, firm skin beneath her hands and couldn't seem to look away from his eyes. He really was very attractive, even with long hair and stubble. 

"I've never heard that name before," he said, a puzzled expression on his face. "Alexus." 

She pretended she didn't feel a shiver of pleasure when he said her name. 

"Well, I guess it wasn't too common in the 40s," she shrugged, finishing her job on his arm. "It's not great," she sighed, "but you've already healed quicker than an average human. It should be back to normal in a week or so." 

He examined her handiwork, prodding his flesh arm with his metal one. Alexus watched the delicate movements of his metal fingers and traced her eyes up the arm to where it met with his shoulder. Deep scars broke his smooth skin at the junction. It looked painful, to say the least. 

"I think..." he trailed off, frowning. She snapped her eyes back to his face. "I don't know how..." he trailed off again, letting out an exasperated sigh. 

"Are you trying to say thank you?" Alexus ventured, trying as hard as she could not to sound patronising. 

"Yes," he breathed. 

"You're welcome," she said, giving him a small smile. She was still wary; he may have one broken arm, but his other one was metal and could break her neck like a twig. "So, are you going to help me?" 

He looked up at her. "With what?" 

"The man you fought, Steve Rogers, is in trouble. Do you remember him?" 

A pained expression came across his features and Alexus' hand twitched towards her gun. 

"I knew him, once. But I can't be his friend. I can't be Bucky," he said, his voice stilted. 

Alexus shook her head, not wanting to set off 70 years worth of repressed feelings. "Don't worry about that for now. The people who controlled you have taken Steve, and I want to get him back. My primary mission was to find you, because they are also looking for you. But if we could also find Steve, well, I'd be a really happy girl." 

"What if I say no?" 

Alexus ground her teeth. "I'd fly you back to a safe house in Italy, throw in some magazines, lock the door and try to find Steve by myself."

"And what if I killed you?" He remained perfectly still, his beautiful chest rising and falling evenly. He gave nothing away. Alexus realised she had been far too complacent. She had taken him by surprise before, but she didn't stand a chance against him anymore. She forced herself to remain calm.

"Then I guess you'll have killed one more person, Steve will carry on being tortured and you will carry on being on the run from your captors." She was pleased with how confident and strong her voice sounded; inside she was reeling with fear. 

He shook his head slowly. "I don't want to kill anymore people." 

"Good," she said. "Then why don't you help me save another?" 

"He's being tortured?" His eyebrows pulled together in a frown. 

Alexus shrugged. "More than likely. They probably think he knows where you are."

"What if you're working for them?" 

Her frustration bubbled over the surface. "Then I wouldn't have been strangled in my sleep less than 4 hours ago, I wouldn't have had to blow up my nice, warm apartment and I wouldn't have had to drive for 3 hours to get to a bloody warehouse in the middle of nowhere," she said angrily. 

He looked surprised at her outburst and paused for a while, assessing his options. "I don't trust you." 

"And I don't trust you. But neither of us really have any other options." 

He looked down at his bandaged arm, and then back at her. "Then... I'll help you." 

Alexus breathed out a long breath. Finally something good had happened to her. "Great," she smiled and stood up. "Oh, and could you please put your shirt back on? You're sort of distracting me." 


	2. Progress (or insanity)

He watched her as she slept, her head lolling to the side and her braided hair falling over her shoulder. It was the colour of dark gold and shone slightly from the dim light. He found he liked it. She had asked him to put his shirt back on - apparently it distracted her. She probably found his metal arm unsettling, so he did as she asked. 

She looked peaceful as she slept and he could hardly imagine she was the same person that pinned him to the ground earlier. It was a strange feeling, being beaten. He had walked away from killing Steve Rogers (for reasons he still didn't quite understand) but he had never lost before. 

The girl, Alexus, had sat opposite him cleaning her gun and fighting to stay awake. Every so often, her eyes would droop closed and she would wake with a start, her green eyes immediately fixing on him. Eventually she lost the battle and her eyes shut and stayed closed, breath coming slowly and evenly. 

He felt his own exhaustion catching up to him. He knew she had arrived in a car and he knew exactly where the keys were, but something stopped him from leaving. He put it down to fatigue and closed his eyes, her face the last thing in his mind. 

~~~~~~ 

Alexus half woke up when she heard the muttering, but she was still under several layers is warm and cosy sleep. Then the screaming started. 

"Fuck," Alexus gasped, nearly falling out of her chair as the piercing sound cut through her hazy sleep, her heart thumping in her chest. She was on her feet and her gun was in her hand in seconds but when her mind caught up to her body's reaction she realised there was no immediate danger. 

The Soldier seemed to be having a nightmare; his metal arm thrashing against the chair, his face drawn in a pained grimace. He let out another distressed scream, making Alexus wince and move towards him. 

"Hey!" she called loudly, staying a few feet away from him warily. "Wake up, soldier," she nudged his leg with her toe, but he didn't respond, his cries becoming louder. "Damn it," she muttered, stepping forward and shaking his shoulders. "Wake up!" Nothing. She shook harder, even slapping his face, but still he writhed and cried out, his eyes tightly shut.

She cursed and thummed the safety off of her gun, aiming it skyward and firing once. She barely blinked at the gunshot, but the Soldier reacted exactly how she knew he would; his body taking over and acting instinctively upon hearing a gun. She stepped swiftly to the side as he jumped to his feet, knees bent and ready for combat, eyes wild and confused. 

"Hey-" she began softly, but he jumped about two feet in the air, spinning quickly to face her. His chest heaved and his metal hand stopped inches from her neck. "It's just me," she said slowly, fighting the urge to bat his wrist down and kick his knee. "You were having a nightmare." 

His arm gradually lowered and she breathed out with releif. She holstered her gun, keeping eye contact with him and noticing his breathing had slowed down. 

"Are you okay?" Alexus could only imagine what lurked in his subconscious - the tales she had heard about his assignments, his methods of killing, his utter obedience... 

He swallowed harshly. "I'm fine. That was... good. I've never been able to wake up from them before." 

He offered nothing more on the matter so Alexus sat back down in her own chair, noticing for the first time the dawn light that shone through the windows and holes in the roof. She looked around the warehouse, noticing it had a shower cubicle of sorts. Her heart leapt and she smiled brilliantly. She imagined washing her hair and almost shivered with excitement, the idea of being clean seeming luxurious. Some kind of life she lead, if a shower was a rare opportunity, she thought with disdain. 

"Right, this is the plan," she looked back to him. He was in the exact same position, watching her. "I'm going to have a shower. You can have one after me if you want. Then we are going to find someplace that does pizza and buy you some normal looking clothes." He didn't object, so she continued. "One of Hydra's old bases is about a three hour drive from here, so we'll start there. Okay?" 

"What's pizza?" he asked, the most innocent look on his face.

Alexus felt her jaw drop open and after the initial surprise, she laughed, clapping a hand over her mouth. "You are in for a treat," she grinned. "I can't believe you don't know what pizza is," she laughed to herself, walking towards the shower cubicles. "Goddamn." 

Upon inspection, she found that the showers were reasonably clean and the water was luke warm. She grabbed a bar of soap and some shampoo from her bag, wishing she packed a towel as well. But towels were just not practical when on the run from multiple Russian assassins. She would have to air dry. The cubicle had three walls, and to her annoyance the missing wall was the one facing the Soldier. A half ripped shower curtain offered some cover, but she had to stand in a corner to keep herself hidden. 

She stripped herself of her black combat boots, trousers, thigh holster and leather top, leaving them folded in a pile outside the shower. As soon as she felt the water on her dirt sweat covered skin she smiled. This, she thought, was pure bliss. She took her time lathering her body and massaging her scalp, savouring the running water. 

He watched with interest as she walked towards the small concrete block that had a piece of ripped material for a fourth wall. He didn't know what she meant by 'shower', but assumed she was referring to a wash-down. He knew he should look away; after all, she was undressing, but he found himself transfixed by the glimpses he caught of her body through the ripped material. Her hair was even longer when it wasn't in a braid, reaching nearly to her hips. Her legs were long and toned, her muscles could be seen as she moved, and her skin was an uninterrupted expanse, broken only by a scar on her right thigh and a tattoo on her left hip. She turned her body to a new angle to catch the spray of the water on her back and he saw the curve of her breasts beneath her wet hair. He looked away guiltily, but felt an odd sensation creeping through his body. 

He closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of it, but all he could picture was her unclothed, shapely body, glistening wet from the water and the feeling grew. He didn't quite know what was happening to him, and he forced himself to calm down. He felt out of control, vulnerable, open to attack. 

The water shut off, accompanied by a screech from the pipes, and Alexus poked her head out, grabbing her clothes. It was awkward, drying herself without a towel, but she used her under-top, knowing she had a spare in her bag. Eventually she emerged, a small smile on her face. She felt like an entirely new person, even flashing a grin at the Soldier. He still hadn't moved. 

"So, d'you want a shower?" she gestured to the cubicle while digging out her spare top from her bag. 

"A wash-down?" he asked, his eyebrows pulling together in the confused frown that had become so familiar. 

"Um, yeah, I guess," she said in confusion. "I left the soap and shampoo in there." She turned around, expecting him to walk away, but he didn't move. "What's wrong?" 

"I don't know how-" he broke off, looking down in frustration. "I never..."

Alexus slowly understood. "You've never washed yourself?" He shook his head, his eye impossibly big and innocent. "Do you want me to help?" 

"I think so," he said, not moving. 

"Okay," she said slowly, trying to work out how to do this in the most dignified way. "Um, if you, uh, strip down to your underwear," she said, "then I can wash your hair and, um, body." 

She cleared her throat and tried to tell herself not to be attracted to the deadly assassin with amnesia and he began systematically undressing. She bit her lip as his glorious chest was once again exposed and mentally kicked herself. What would Steve say, she angrily thought, and then had to stifle a giggle. Sweet, lovely Steve wouldn't know what to think if he knew she was having sexual desires aimed at his best friend-turned-assassin. 

Once he was done, he stood there in, to her surprise, plain black boxers. She didn't know what she had expected - long johns, perhaps. 

"Okay, into to the shower," she gestured and followed behind him, guiltily staring at his ass. Stop it, Alexus. But he was so very muscular and tall and those shoulders...

She reached awkwardly into the shower to turn the water on, her upper body briefly brushing against his and to her surprise, she swore she felt him shiver. She laughed at herself; he would never be attracted to her. She didn't even know if he would be attracted to anyone at this stage. She jumped back as she spray splashed her, soaking one sleeve of her leather top and making her growl in frustration. 

"Okay, stand there and get your hair wet." He did as she said, waiting until his hair was completely sodden and plastered against his scalp, making him look like an adorable lost puppy. She smiled and told him so, but he just frowned, tilting his head. 

She sighed and reached for his wrist, tugging him forward and pouring some shampoo into his hair. He had to stoop over awkwardly - he was a few inches taller than her - and he found himself staring at her breasts through her tight leather top. He swallowed, the feeling from earlier returning. 

Alexus ran her hands through his long-ish hair, encountering a few knots which she worked out easily. She found herself oddly enjoying the sensation of being this close to someone. She had been on the run on her own for a long time, no one to trust or take comfort in. 

The Soldier made a noise, like a long drawn out sigh of pleasure. Alexus laughed. 

"Enjoying yourself?" 

"Usually a wash-down is very quick. And cold." He paused. "And no one touches me." 

"It's okay," she said softly, finding herself yearning to comfort him. "That won't happen anymore." 

She could hardly believe it when his hands reached up to rest on her hips, one metal and one skin. Her hands faltered slightly in his hair, adjusting to the new sensation, before continuing their movements. Neither of them said anything as they stood close to each other, her hands in his hair, his head bowed before her and his hands on her hips. 

After a few more minutes her hands ceased their movement. "Okay. Wash it out now," she said quietly. 

He raised his head and their faces were only inches apart, his hands still on her waist. She let her own hands rest on his warm shoulders, feeling slightly unsteady. Her eyes took in his features, realising how attractive he really was. His sharp jawline, pink lips, sharp, blue eyes. And shampoo filled hair. Her mouth ends turned up at the bubbles that were slowly sliding down his forehead, a contrast to his ever-serious expression.

"You'll get soap in your eyes," she murmered, "wash it out." 

He took a step backwards into the stream of water, reluctantly letting go of her hips. He didn't know what had prompted him to touch her, but he had enjoyed it and he didn't regret it. The feeling of her hands in his hair lingered in his mind and he shivered again, like when her body had skimmed his when she turned the water on. 

He closed his eyes as the water ran over his face, his hands hanging by his side and he heard her light laughter. 

"Use your hands," she laughed. "It'll never come out like that." 

He frowned, eyes still closed, and experimented with his hands, trying to rid his hair of the soap suds. He obviously didn't do a very good job as he heard her laugh again. 

"Hold on," she mumbled, and he heard her taking her top off. Then her hands were back in his hair, massaging the soap out. He peeked his eyes open to see her leaning into the spray, her upper body bare apart from a bra and water splashing her arms and belly. 

"Thank you." 

Her eyes flickered up to him in surprise, her lips curling upwards. He felt slightly warm in his stomach at the knowledge that she was smiling because of him. 

"You're welcome." She stepped back and put the bar of soap into his hands. "Rub this over your body." 

He looked at her sceptically and she nodded to encourage him. He slowly did as she said, the bar so soap producing white bubbles. 

"Yes! Good. You can take your boxers off and do that everywhere, then rinse it off." She retreated from the cubicle, draping the shower curtain as best she could and shaking her arms to get rid of the water. 

She took a deep breath, trying to absorb what had just happened. She had washed the Winter Soldier's hair. He had put his hands on her hips. Then, for some reason, she had decided to take her top off and stand halfway in the shower to rinse his hair. Alexus shook her head. She was either mentally unhinged or extremely desperate for sex.

She was inclined towards the latter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Kudos and comments are much appreciated :)


	3. A Comforting Honeymoon

"This is pizza?" he asked sceptically, inspecting the steaming slice of Margherita in his hand. 

"Yes, and it's the best food in the world," she mumbled, her mouth full of her own pizza. It felt like she hadn't eaten in days (which she hadn't) and she had wolfed down half of hers before he had touched the first slice. 

He sniffed it for the fourth time and Alexus sighed loudly, making him look up. 

"I promise you will enjoy it," she smiled encouragingly. 

He sniffed it again and then tentatively took a small bite. Chewed. Swallowed. And then the corners of his mouth turned upwards slightly; not quite a smile, but getting there. 

"It's warm," he said, sounding surprised and Alexus felt a pang of sympathy for him. 

"You didn't eat too much warm food, I'm guessing." 

"No. Everything was cold," he said before taking a bigger bite and chewing slowly, savouring the rich flavours. 

They had left the cold warehouse and driven to the nearest civilised town. Alexus had bought him a few changes of clothes, including a hilarious 'Lord of the Rings' t-shirt reference, which he didn't get at all, pijamas and a tooth brush. She stocked up on her own supplies; money was no object when she had a stash of over $500,000 dollars. They were now sitting in a small pizza restaurant, the Soldier having changed into his new clothes. It was quite a different look for him, Alexus reflected, jeans and a snug fitting shirt. He looked a lot softer and she could almost imagine cuddling him. She pushed the thought out of her mind quickly. 

"The place we're driving to next has several known Hyrda operatives in it," she told him, sipping her lemonade. "They know me by name and job description, and I'm guessing they have a pretty good idea of who you are too, so we'll be using fake names," Alexus grinned. 

She loved using fake names; it took her back to the old days of spying - dark alleyways, hats with wide brims, long coats and cigarettes. It just wasn't as exciting anymore. 

"And it's easier if we say we're a married couple sightseeing in Russia. Less suspicious," she said, eyeing him closely to see how he would react. 

"Okay," he said, not looking up from his pizza. 

"We'll stay in one of the hotels near the Hydra base and we can survey it before going in." She took out a few Russian rubles and put them on the table. "I'll be Holly Robins. What do you want to be called?" 

He looked up from his last piece of pizza, considering the question. He had never been asked what he wanted before. "I don't know," he shook his head. 

"Okay, you can be Mark Robins, love of my life," she said with a smile. "C'mon soldier. We better hit the road. Oh, that's another thing. Aside from Mark, what shall I call you?" 

He looked up at her, puzzled. 

"I can't just keep calling you 'Soldier' the whole time," she explained, shrugging. 

He thought for a moment. He didn't deserve the name Bucky. Not yet, anyway. "You can call me James." 

~~~~~

Alexus (he had come to think of her as Alexus now, not just 'the girl') drove like a maniac on the run from the police, and she did it with a sort of grim smile that made him feel sorry for anyone that pissed her off. He had told her to slow down many times, but she just laughed, shaking her head. Alexus also liked to play loud, strange music while she drove, with thumping drum beats and loud, screeching guitars. 

"You like AC/DC?" she called over a particularly long guitar solo. 

"What's AC/DC?" 

She laughed. "This!" 

"It's very... different from the music I remember," he said, unsure of what music he did remember, but knowing it wasn't anything like this.

She nodded, "You're tapping your foot though, you must be enjoying it!" 

He hadn't realised that he was doing so, but when he looked at his feet he realised she was right. His foot was lightly tapping against the floor in time with the music. 

"What is this song called?" he asked her. 

"You Shook Me All Night Long," she replied. 

He nodded, making a mental note of the title. He would buy the record on vinyl when all this was over. 

After a few hours later (James eventually got used to her driving), they arrived in an expensive looking town and pulled into a car park that was next to a towering hotel. 

"This is the place," Alexus muttered, grabbing their bags from the boot. "Follow my lead James. Oh, and put this on," she said, handing him a baseball cap. 

He brushed his hair back and secured the cap on as they entered the hotel lobby. Suddenly, Alexus' hands wrapped around his flesh arm and she lent her head on his shoulder and it felt completely natural to weave his fingers through hers. She looked up in surprise and smiled at him as they walked over to the desk. 

"Hi," Alexus grinned, behaving as stupidly happy as she could bare. "A room for two please?" she giggled. 

The female desk clerk nodded, tapping the computer screen. "How long will you be staying?" 

"Three nights, right Mark?" she turned and smiled dazzlingly at him. He didn't trust himself to talk so he just nodded. "We're on our honeymoon," she told the woman. "Sightseeing as many countries as we can in a month!" 

"How lovely," the woman replied, a genuine smile on her face as she looked at the couple. Alexus inwardly rolled her eyes; everyone behaved like this towards newly-weds. 

"Yes," she gushed, leaning into James. "We're just so happy." 

James raised his eyebrows at her impressive performance, but didn't say anything. 

"Well, we actually just had a cancellation in our honeymoon suit. Let me see what I can do," the woman smiled at them, her manicured nails tapping away. 

Alexus faked a gasp. "Mark, did you hear that? The honeymoon suit!"

The woman nodded, smiling, "Yes! I knew it was free. I've upgraded you, no extra cost. If I could just take your names and card details...?" 

"Holly and Mark Robins," she said, sliding the brand new credit card across the desk. "Thank you so much, we really are so grateful." 

"My pleasure." she swiped the card and handed it back along with a door key. "Enjoy your stay!"

"Thanks again," Alexus waved, grabbing James' hand again and towing him to the elevator. Once inside, she laughed, shaking her head. 

"As soon as you tell people you just got married, they give you free stuff," she said in exasperation. "I just don't get it." 

James didn't respond, and she realised his eyes were screwed shut. 

"James? What's wrong?" she said, a hand on his tense arm. 

"I don't like these," he said tightly. 

"Elevators?" Shit. "Okay, don't worry. It's nearly over now, we're getting out at the next floor. Just breathe, it's okay," she said softly. 

James listened to her voice, letting it soothe him and relax him. He ignored the feeling of being compressed and pushed away the memories of being stored in the box for so long, holding on to the sound of Alexus' voice and nothing else. 

The doors whooshed open and she pulled him out gently, her hands rubbing his arms. "Hey, James, it's fine. We're out now." 

He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, eyes darting around before coming to rest on Alexus. "I'm fine." 

She didn't let go of him as they walked to their room, unlocking the door and dropping their bags in. 

"Maybe we'll take the stairs nextime," she smiled, her hands still holding him. He nodded.

They spent the next ten minutes checking the room for bugs and cameras, but it was clean. They were safe. However, to Alexus' dismay, the suite was indeed meant for honeymoon couples. The bed had red silk sheets and was heart shaped. There were red roses in vases dotted around the room. The shower cubicle was big enough for two and there were 'his and her' bathrobes. 

Alexus shook her head, but didn't complain; this was the most luxurious accommodation she'd had in a long time. But she did feel guilt seep through her mind, picturing what sort of state Steve must be in while she was put up in a 4 star hotel.

 "Okay, I'm going to have a shower," she told James. 

He frowned; Alexus seemed to have extremely frequent showers. 

The hot water felt good on her tense muscles, made even better by the knowledge she had access to a dry towel afterwards. She changed into her newly bought pijamas shorts and top and let her semi-dry hair fall loosely down her back before emerging into the lounge area of their room.

"Do you want another shower?" she asked him. 

"Already?" he asked, his blue eyes gazing at her. 

"It's up to you," she shrugged. "Most people shower daily. It also helps to relax you. I can help you again if you want." 

James swallowed, remembering her closeness and warmth last time she helped him and craving more. "Okay." 

Alexus pretended that her stomach didn't perform excited little flips as he undressed again in front of her, and she also pretended that she didn't really want to strip naked and join him. Of course not, that would be unprofessional and completely out of the question while Steve was in danger. Her mind then brought up pictures of what could happen after they'd rescued Steve, and she felt her face burn while she shampooed James' hair. 

After his shower, he spent a long time looking at himself in the mirror. He hadn't seen his reflection in a while, and he had changed since last time. His eyes were confused and sad rather than harsh and deadly. His hair was longer, as well as his stubble. 

"Alexus?" 

"Yeah?" she called from the sofa. 

"Could you cut my hair?" 

"Really? You trust me with scissors near your neck?" she snorted. 

She had a point, he supposed, but didn't see why, if she really wanted to kill him, she would wait until now. She could have easily done it when she was straddling his waist with a knife pressed to his throat. 

"Yes," he replied. He heard her bare feet padding into the bathroom and she lent against the door, her legs bare aside from some extremely short shorts. He would need a long time to get used to how women dressed in 2014. 

"Okay then," she said. "How short do you want it? I'm not sure how good it'll be," she said, biting her lip. This made James' eyes fall to her mouth, her teeth chewing at her full lips, making them wet and red. He cleared his throat, dragging his eyes back to hers. 

"I want it to look like who I used to be."

Alexus looked at the man standing in front of her and knew with utter certainty, that even though he wasn't Bucky Barnes quite yet, he definitely was no longer the Winter Soldier. 

"Okay," she nodded and sat him on a chair while she found some scissors and a comb. She stood in front of him while she cut and James found himself studying the scar that was visible on her right thigh. He wondered how she had received the injury and found himself feeling angry at whoever inflicted pain on Alexus; he wanted to protect her and make sure she was never hurt again. 

"How did you get your scar?" he asked softly and felt her hands falter in his hair briefly. 

Alexus swallowed, caught offhand by his question. "I was shot." She paused, willing herself to continue. She hated telling this story; people always pretended to understand exactly how she felt, and they never did. "I used to work in the logistics and intelligence division, which was basically where we learnt to hack into any computer or software. I had trained in combat, but I'd never been in a contact situation before. My little sister came to visit me at work. We were going to get lunch together, and then these militia broke in and demanded that I hack into the governments secure network. I refused, of course, so they tried to shoot me. Harriet - my sister - attacked the guy as he shot, so I got a bullet in my leg instead of my head. But then he turned around and shot her." Alexus realised she had stopped cutting his hair and cleared her throat, carrying on trimming. 

"And you think it was your fault," he said softly. 

Alexus swallowed harshly. Damn, people usually just told her how sorry they were and how brave she had been, even though she hadn't been brave at all. 

"Well, it was," she said flatly. She felt tears threatening her composure and took several deep breaths, desperately praying she wouldn't break down in tears in front of him; she hated crying. 

"No," he said, "it wasn't." he slowly placed his hands on her hips for the second time since he had met her, wanting to comfort her. "The person who shot her is the only person to blame."

"I should have done something," she said, and despite her best efforts, her voice cracked. 

James didn't have any experience (that he remembered) in comforting people while they cried, but he desperately wanted to take away Alexus' pain. He stood up, her hands falling away from his hair, and wrapped his arms around her slim frame. She froze momentarily, and home wondered if it was a mistake, but then her body relaxed and she gripped him tightly. 

Alexus refused to let herself cry. It was bad enough that she was letting him hug her, and it made her feel all the more selfish and obnoxious. He shouldn't be comforting her, it should be the other way around. Had she been manipulated as a machine for the last 70 years? No, she had not. But James had, and here he was, being the one to hold her. 

"You're a nice person," she said, once she was sure her voice would hold steady. Her cheek was pressed into the side of his neck and she could smell his freshly washed and half cut hair. His skin was soft and his arms were strong and she never wanted to let him go. 

"No I'm not," he replied quietly, enjoying the feeling of another human's heartbeat and warmth pressed against him. Especially as it was Alexus. 

Alexus frowned and pulled back slightly to look at his blue eyes. They were very close to hers, their faces only inches apart as she regarded him with confusion. 

"What do you mean?"

James thought she would have understood this, the fact that he was a monster. That he had killed more people that he could remember, and that he had regarded them as little more than an inconvenience. 

"I... I have killed a lot of people," he whispered. He prepared himself for her to break away from his arms, to end their embrace, but she didn't move. Instead, her eyebrows drew together in a frown. 

"But that was the Soldier. That wasn't James."

He shook his head. "You don't know that..."

Alexus gave him a small shake with her arms out of frustration, trying to get him to realise her point. "No, I couldn't possibly know that. But what I do know is that you are not the Winter Soldier." James flinched slightly at the name, but she continued. "You are not him, and it was him that killed those people, and even then, he only did it because he was scientifically programmed to do it."

Alexus surprised herself with her outburst and hid her face in his neck again. After a moment, he rested his head on her shoulder, both of them holding on to each other like they were afraid the other might disappear any minute. 

"Thank you," he mumbled again the soft skin of her neck. He loved the way she smelt; subtley of vanilla and some sort of flowers. He had only ever had vanilla once before, in the form of ice cream, but he remembered loving it, and he loved it again now. 

"Come on," she said after a while. "Your hair is lopsided and it's going to drive me insane until its even." She smiled and he let go of her, somewhat reluctantly - he didn't know when they would be that close again. 

And he craved her closeness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any feedback is much appreciated!


	4. Together or Not at All

Alexus woke up during the early hours of the morning and she lay in the dark on the stupid, red, heartshaped bed, trying to work out what had woken her. Then she heard James muttering from the next room and cursed, jumping out of bed. She knew that his muttering would soon progress to full on screaming, and she couldn't very well fire a gun this time. 

He had insisted on taking the sofa last night, and she hadn't put up much of a fight - she hadn't slept in a proper bed in a long time. When she entered the living room area, he was sprawled across the sofa, wearing only boxer shorts, his metal arm clenching and relaxing repeatedly as he tossed and turned. 

"James," she said, walking slowly over. "You need to wake up." 

Her heart was thumping in her chest. She knew she was in danger. If she was too close when he woke up, still disorientated, it would be all too easy for him to kill her. 

"James," she padded closer and shook his shoulder. "Wake up!" 

He carried on murmuring, and then his left arm suddenly shot out, metal fingers clasping around her wrist in a vice like grip. Alexus went cold, cursing under her breath as she tried to release his grip on her, but there was no hope. 

And then amongst the breathless mutters, she heard him speak coherently. "Help," he whispered, his face crumpling into sadness and pain. "Help me..."

"James! James, it's okay, I'm helping you," she said, kneeling down beside his head and disregarding her safety. She put her free hand on his face, turning it to look at her. "James, listen to me. Listen to my voice. You are safe, nothing is going to hurt you. I'm helping you and you can wake up whenever you want," she said desperately. 

"Help... Someone help... They're hurting me..."

"Oh god, James," she said softly. "It's not real. Please wake up." She acted on instinct, throwing her free arm around his shoulders and cradling him to her chest as he trembled. "You're safe, I'm helping you," she whispered. 

"It hurts..." he said tensely. "Make it stop... Please stop..."

"It's stopped, no ones hurting you anymore," she said, and she felt his metal arm relax its grip on her wrist slightly. She breathed a sigh of relief feeling the blood flow return to her hand. "You're safe now." 

The grip relaxed even more and she eventually wriggled out of the fingers, now using both arms to hug him into her. 

"Alexus..." he breathed softly, still asleep. His breathing had slowed down and he had stopped trembling, and his arms had moved to grip her t shirt desperately. 

"Yes, I'm here," she replied, relief flooding through her body. 

"Don't leave me..." he sighed again, nuzzling into her chest, still fast asleep. 

"I won't," she said softly. 

She slowly stood up, his arms tightening around her, and then carefully fit her body next to his on the sofa. He immediately curled himself around her in a foetal position, his face wiped of any trace of distress. Alexus closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep on the cramped, lumpy and too-small sofa. 

Beds were overrated anyway.

~~~~~~~

Alexus' mouth watered as she piled bacon onto her already full breakfast plate. This hotel put out an amazing breakfast buffet and she was fully taking advantage of it. James had sat down already with a few pancakes (she had recommended them) and some juice and once she had balanced as much food as she could on her plate, she walked over to join him. 

And stopped. 

There were two attractive, scantily dressed girls sitting at the table with him, flirting with him in such an obvious way it made Alexus want to gag. James, for his part, looked utterly bewildered and didn't seem to know quite where to look when the red haired one leaned over the table to reach a napkin, displaying her cleavage for the whole hotel to see. 

Alexus stormed over without thinking twice, her face flushed with anger. 

"Can I help you two?" she said coldly and the girls looked up, assessing her. James breathed out in relief at her arrival, having felt completely out of his depth. 

"I don't think so," one of them laughed, running her eyes up and down Alexus' tall body with hostility. 

"Oh, no, I don't actually want to help you," Alexus smiled sweetly. "That was just a polite way of me telling you to get the fuck away from my husband." 

Alexus enjoyed the looks on the girls faces and kept looking at them until they awkwardly got up and left the table, muttering about her under their breath. She didn't care. 

"Thanks," James said. 

"You looked like you needed a hand," she shrugged, sitting down. "And besides, no one flirts with my husband." She grinned at him and for the first time, he smiled. A real, genuine and happy smile. Alexus immediately loved it and felt a surge of triumph that she had been the one to put it there. 

After breakfast, they retrieved their weapons from their room, Alexus lovingly tucking her knife into the holster under her jacket. She reserved a special place in her heart for her knife; a beautifully made and perfectly maintained Benchmade Marc Lee combat knife, one of only 251 ever made, and designed specifically for her hand. The hilt was light grey and the blade was a bright silver. It was her most prized possession. 

They then walked through the town, holding hands and leaning into each other, telling themselves it was for their cover story, but both enjoying the feeling of the other. They eventually reached an unsuspecting building that had been a confirmed Hydra base and sat on a park bench across the street from it, watching and pretending to be in love (Alexus found the last part alarmingly easy).

"Shall we go in?" James said after a while. 

Alexus nodded. "There doesn't seem to be any activity. And we don't have time to wait much longer," she said, thinking of Steve. 

James suddenly felt scared, not for himself, but for Alexus' safety. He remembered seeing her scar and felt a fierce need to protect her. 

"Be careful. Don't take any risks," he said gruffly as they stood up and crossed the street. "These people shoot first and ask questions later." 

Alexus looked at him, surprised by his warning, but feeling the same. "You be careful too. If things go badly and you have a chance to get out, take it."

It made sense, James knew that - there was no point in both of them getting killed if her had a chance to leave her and save himself. That was the kind of attitude he had taken on every mission. But he knew, despite the irrationality of it, that he would stay with her. 

"I would never leave you," he said quietly.

Alexus looked at her boots, swallowing thickly. "Then I guess we're leaving here together, or not at all." 

They looked at each other, an unspoken look of respect and understanding for the other. 

"Together or not at all," James nodded slowly. 

Alexus took a few deep breaths, as she did before any operation, and fixed her attention on the building in front of them. They skirted down an alleyway by the side of the building and stopped by a window that was 6 feet from the ground. James used his arm to break the glass, both of them wincing at the loudness, before boosting Alexus up and watching her climb through the gap, just as they had planned. She paused, balancing on the sill for a few seconds to make sure the room was empty before dropping and landing softly on the floor below. 

Alexus turned and walked to the locked door a few metres down the wall, turning the advanced and thick mechanism that kept it sealed. James stood waiting, and stepped inside once there was a big enough gap. They navigated their way to the control room without meeting anyone and Alexus immediately began to hack through into their database while James stood guard at the door. 

A tense few moments later, she smiled grimly as the computer allowed her access to all Hydra files stored at this base. 

"Okay, I'm in," she said, plugging a USB device into one of the ports and beginning to copy the files. As the files were duplicated onto the USB, she searched for anything providing a prison or holding cell, anything that could be the answer to where Steve was being held. 

Suddenly footsteps could be heard coming from the corridor, causing both of them to tense. 

"Shit," Alexus muttered, quickly searching the remaining files, her fingers becoming more frantic as the footsteps grew louder. 

"Alexus..." James breathed the warning, his metal arm clenched into tight fist. 

"Just a few more," she muttered, eyes scanning the files impossibly quickly. And then she found it - a small document listing several addresses and coordinates with the title in Russain reading: 'Level 5 Prison Locations'. Alexus dragged the file onto the USB and pulled it out, exiting all the windows and removing any trace that the computer had been tampered with. 

The footsteps were right outside now, and she moved to stand on the other side of the doorway to James, both of them pressed flat against the wall. She knew James was unarmed. He didn't want to carry any weapons because he didn't have the intention of using them. Alexus however, slipped her knife out of its sheath and her gun out of its holster, holding one in each hand. 

The footsteps slowed and James held out three fingers, counting down to one, at which point they both stepped into the corridor, Alexus' boot landing firmly on the agent's throat. It could have been deadly, but she didn't want to kill him, and so she only applied enough force to knock him out. His body slumped and James dragged him inside the control room, shutting the door afterwards. 

He stepped back into the corridor and Alexus turned to face him, about to speak when she saw movement behind him out the corner of her eye. 

"Bucky!" she cried without thinking, warning him of the attacker a split second before they emerged from the shadows. She saw his metal arm whiz through the air, blocking a punch that would have landed squarely in his face, and then strike with deadly speed, winding his opponent. The attacker, a woman with a shaved head, fell against the wall and Alexus watched as his metal arm wrapped around her throat, squeezing. 

The woman fell unconscious, but he didn't let go. Alexus frowned, walking towards him. 

"Let her go," she said. "She's unconscious. We've got what we need, let's get out of here." 

He didn't seem to register her voice, his eyes staying focused on the woman's limp form and Alexus felt panic bubble inside of her. 

"Put her down!" she pleaded, watching in horror as the woman grew paler in his arms. He didn't move, not even when she shook him, grasping at his arm and trying to heave it away. 

"You're killing her, Bucky!" she said desperately, and all of a sudden he jumped backwards, the woman falling to the ground. He stared in shock at the pale and seemingly lifeless person at his feet, a cold guilt seeping through his bones at the realisation. He knew Alexus had tried to stop him, and he watched as she quickly knelt down, feeling for a pulse. 

"Oh, thank god," she muttered. "She's alive." She glanced up at him, seeing his face was drawn with disgust and shock. "Let's go," she said quickly, grabbing his metal hand and towing him back the way they came. 

Another Hydra operative almost crashed into them, a cup of coffee in his hands and a bagel half way to his mouth. Alexus jumped, her knee catching him the chest and her elbow connecting with his jaw. He fell and didn't get up and they continued down the corridor. No alarms sounded and they made it to the door they had entered through, bursting out into the cold Russain air. 

He seemed completely out of it, and Alexus was having to pull him behind her to keep him moving. She tucked her gun and knife away, stuffing his metal hand in his pocket to keep it hidden as they emerged onto the street. She kept them walking brusquely for 10 minutes, frequently checking behind them for any signs that they were being followed, but no one was there. Even so, she took a round about route to get back to the hotel, passing through crowded shops and thin alleyways to lose anyone that may have followed them. 

At last they returned to their room. He still hadn't said a word and looked faintly sick. She sat him down and looked at him closely. 

"Are you okay? Hey, look at me. Are you alright?" 

His eyes wandered up to her face, filled with unspoken fear and guilt. 

"I... I almost... Killed her..." 

"But you didn't. No, keep looking at me," she said sternly as his gaze tried to drop to his left arm. "You let her go. She is still alive. You controlled it and made your own decision." 

"You called me Bucky," he said slowly, looking at her bright green eyes. 

Alexus blinked in surprise. She hadn't even realised. "Shit, did I? Sorry, James-" 

"No, no," he shook his head, "I like Bucky. It made me remember."

Alexus nodded, her hands cradling his face from when she made him look at her. "Okay, Bucky." 

He felt himself leaning towards her, those green eyes drawing him closer. 

"I'm sorry," he said. He didn't know why he was apologising, but he felt he needed to. 

"No," she frowned at him. "You have no reason to be sorry." 

His skin was soft under her hands and he was extremely close to her, so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his body and hear the breaths leaving his parted lips. 

"Alexus," he murmered, his metal hand finding its way to the back of her neck and making her shiver slightly at the cool temperature. She had no idea what was happening, but neither did he. Bucky had no idea how to deal with the feelings he held for Alexus, and didn't know the first thing about how to kiss someone. If that's what he was intending to do, which he thought he was. Maybe the old Bucky would know something about this, but not him. 

"I'm here," she breathed back, her hands gently cupping his strong jaw. What the hell was she doing, her mind screamed at her. She couldn't become involved with him, especially not during a mission. But Alexus didn't care very much. All she cared about was the colour of Bucky's eyes and the thought of how his lips would taste.

Bucky felt both of them falling into each other and his eyes fluttered closed as Alexus' warm lips brushed against his, making him immediately crave more, a deeper kiss, her hands on him, his hands touching her, their bodies pressed against each other- 

But before any of that happened, a phone rang loudly and they broke apart. Alexus felt her lips tingling from where his had barely touched hers as she jumped up and searched her bag, eventually digging out the mobile transmitter supplied to her by SHIELD. She frowned; no one should be contacting her through this. She shouldn't even have it anymore, but she had forgotten to throw it away and it had stayed at the bottom of her bag. 

She glanced at Bucky, who was sitting in the same position watching her with lustful eyes and she swallowed, desperately wanting to return to him and finish what they had started. She began to move towards him, but the transmitter rang again, seemingly more insistent this time.

She growled in annoyance and flipped the screen open. 

"Who is this?" she asked harshly. 

"There is a squad of Hydra agents on the way to your location," a cold, deep voice told her. 

"Who the hell is this?" she hissed. 

"If I were you, I would not be there when they arrive." 

The line went dead, and Alexus stared at the transmitter in horror. 

"Alexus, what's wrong?" Bucky stood up, moving towards her. 

"We have to leave, right now. Hydra agents on their way." 

Bucky's eyes turned cold and they wordlessly began packing their equipment into their bags. They cleaned the room quickly of any prints and DNA traces, leaving absolutely nothing behind before using the fire escape to exit the hotel. They checked the car park wasn't being watched and when they were sure it was safe, they climbed into the car, quickly and silently pulling onto the main road and leaving the town behind them.


	5. Admitting the Truth

"So you have no idea who it was?" Bucky asked as they sped through the Russian countryside. 

"Not a clue,"Alexus replied, fingers drumming impatiently on the steering wheel, eyes locked on the empty road in front of her.

They had stopped at an Internet cafe when they were sure they weren't being pursued, and had found out the prison locations from the USB. There had been four listed, but three of them had been destroyed by SHIELD. The last one was in northern Belarus and Alexus was driving to a train station outside Moscow. The train journey would take two days and Alexus was already feeling impatient - for the first time in weeks, she knew where Steve was, but she now had to sit on a train doing nothing for two days. But it was a lot quicker than driving, she reasoned.  
   
The silence in the car was slightly awkward, both of them thinking about their almost-kiss but not knowing how to feel or what to say. 

"Bucky-" Alexus started to say, at the same time Bucky said, "I don't-". They both broke off abruptly. 

"You go," Alexus smiled.

Bucky expelled a long breath, trying to find the right words. 

"I have changed a lot in the past few days," he said slowly, staring at his hands.

Alexus kept her gaze front and centre. She had never been good with these emotional things. 

"And it's from... It's because of you. Something about you, I don't know. It makes me remember the feeling of being Bucky. You make me feel human again." 

He picked at a thread on his sleeve, trying to remember if the old Bucky had any idea how to deal with situations like this.

"And I... I know I'm not good, I don't deserve redemption or forgiveness-"

"Bucky," Alexus shook her head.

"It's fine. Just let me finish." He paused. "I don't deserve that... And I don't deserve you," he said quietly. 

Alexus bit her lip her grip on the steering wheel tightened, but before she could speak he carried on.

"But... I want you. I want to deserve you," he said, relieved he had found the right words. "All of you."

Alexus stayed silent, her teeth chewing on her lower lip. Bucky felt sudden embarrassment - she obviously didn't feel the same way.

"If you... wanted that too, I mean," he added. "I understand if you don't." 

Alexus tried to keep her breathing steady, her mind a wirlwind of thoughts and feelings. She knew she shouldn't. It was dangerous and reckless and goddamn selfish. She could hardly keep herself in check, let alone coping with someone else's feelings and emotions, which was the main reason she had not had a romantic relationship with anyone in a long time. 

But at the same time, she knew without a doubt her feelings for Bucky were not at all platonic and had developed far more than a superficial crush. She was drawn to him, like a moth to a flame, despite his damage and danger and she knew she would never give him up.

"I am shit at this," she stated, glancing at him and seeing his expression was defeated and sad. "And before I say anything else, don't for one minute think you don't deserve something, especially me of all people." She looked at him quickly. "You deserve the world, Bucky." 

She watched his eyes blink and soften before her and then turned her attention back onto the road. 

"I want that too, Bucky," she almost groaned. "Like, you have no idea how much. When I helped you shower, and you were almost naked, I just..." she trailed off and shook her head. Focus, Alexus. "The point is, I can't stop thinking about you and the things you have been through, and wanting to help you." 

And have sex with you, she added mentally. 

She swallowed, feeling his gaze on her face. "I want all of you too." 

She risked a glance in his direction and saw his face lit up with a wide smile, the biggest one she'd seen yet. It was infectious and she found herself smiling too, giggling even (like a bloody schoolgirl, she thought) and she brought her right hand down from the steering wheel to hold rest on his metal one. 

"Want to put AC/DC on again?" she asked.

"Yeah," Bucky said, fiddling with the controls on the stereo until You Shook Me All Night Long came on and he sat back, smiling proudly at his successful task. 

The somewhat fitting lyrics of the song made Alexus laugh under he breath, her face warming slightly as she imagined Bucky kissing her to this song. Maybe running his hands beneath her top, his metal one cool against her skin. Maybe pinning her between his body and the bed. Maybe wrapping her legs around his waist and biting her neck... 

Her mind continued on as their hands intertwined and Alexus' foot pressed harder on the accelerator. The two day train journey wasn't looking so bad after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was so short, but I have my English literature exam tomorrow so I really didn't have much time for writing! The next one will be longer, I promise (and may include mature content ;);););) ).  
> Any comments and feedback are welcome :)  
> Thanks for reading!


	6. The Second Train Journey of Bucky Barnes

Bucky had only ever been on one train before, and as he recalled, it had not ended spectacularly well (his apparent demise was the result of the short journey). Alexus knew he was scared without asking him, a skill she had gained from the days they had spent in each others company, and so she held his hand tightly as they boarded the overnight train to Belarus. 

"Hey, we get our own room!" Alexus exclaimed as they found their beds in a room with a sliding door. The train was wide; wide enough for  a small room and two bunk beds to fit along the carriages and wide enough for the restaurant and bar area they had passed.

"Do you think the bar does vanilla ice cream?" Bucky asked her suddenly, without any context. 

She smiled. "Probably. Do you want to go and see?" 

"Okay," he smiled back and it felt like the most natural thing in the world to lace his fingers into hers as they walked down the narrow passage. 

They reached the restaurant and sat at the bar and Alexus ordered two vanilla ice cream sundaes. She did it with a smile that was returned all to easily from the young bartender, and Bucky shifted his chair closer to Alexus, staring with slightly narrowed eyes at the bartender. 

"He's not looking at your face," Bucky said to her quietly. 

"Um, okay," she shrugged, smiling and not understanding his meaning. 

"He's looking further down," Bucky said through gritted teeth. 

Alexus blinked. Was Bucky... Jealous? "I see," she said, trying not to laugh at his utter outrage of the bartender's wondering gaze. 

Alexus was used to it; guys flirting with her, looking at places other than her face. She was attractive and she knew it, but rarely acted on it. 

"Well, at least he's looking, right?" she tried to joke, but Bucky didn't laugh, or appear to hear her for that matter. "Hey, Buck, it's fine. He's barely past his teenage years and it's not like I'm interested in him."

"But he's looking at you like you're a piece of meat," Bucky hissed, still agitated. 

"Let him look. I don't particularly care." 

She had turned to face him, but he was still looking at the scrawny man, his shoulders tense and his forehead crumpled up in a frown. If he hadn't been so pissed off, Alexus would have laughed at his childish pose. And then possibly kissed him for being so cute. 

She needed a different approach, she thought, watching his hostile gaze directed at the poor bartender. She smiled to herself and lent closer to him, her torso brushing his shoulder and her nose skimming his jaw. He involuntarily shivered and leaned into her touch, his eyes breifly fluttering closed at the sensation. 

"All he can do is look, Buck, but think about what you can do," she whispered into his ear, her hand skimming over his arm and coming to rest on his shoulder. 

Bucky breathed in sharply at Alexus' whispered words, images filling his mind; seeing her shower the day they first met, her long, toned legs in those skimpy shirts she wore at the hotel, her black lace bra she wore when she helped him shower and the incredible feeling of her hands in his hair. 

He turned in his chair to face her and Alexus smiled, closer to a triumphant smirk than anything else, and he knew she had done it purposefully to distract him, but at this point he really didn't care. 

"You're very cunning," he told her, moving forward so that their legs touched. Her hand was still on his shoulder and he could feel the heat of it burning through his skin, warming his heart and melting the ice that had surrounded it for so long. 

She shrugged, still smiling, "I'm a spy, what can I say." 

He wanted to take pictures with his mind of this moment. Her dark blonde - golden, really - hair had been let out of its usual braid and it fell down her back and over the curve if her breasts, framing her beautiful face. Her green eyes were sparkling and were crinkled in the corners from where she was smiling at him like he was a million dollars and she was a beggar. He couldn't understand why she looked at him like this, but he sure as hell wasn't complaining.

"Two vanilla ice cream Sundays," the bartender interupted Bucky's thoughts and pulled them both from their somewhat intense staring session. He turned to face the gawky man and looked at him with hostility, but the bartender barely noticDe, eyes only for Alexus. Who could blame him, Bucky thought grudgingly. 

"Thanks," Alexus said, sliding one to Bucky and pulling the other in front of her. Bucky felt a quick surge of happiness when she didn't even glance at the other man and her free hand stayed resting on his. 

Even so, the bartender didn't give up. "Can I get you anything else?" 

The question was innocent enough, but his body language made it clear it wasn't even remotely directed at Bucky. 

"No thanks," Alexus replied. "My husband just really craved some ice cream, but we don't need anything else." 

She smiled sweetly and the bartender's eyes fell to their interlocked hands, disappointment scrawled across his features. He then glanced at Bucky, as if trying to size him up. Big mistake. Bucky met his eyes with a cold, hard, unblinking stare. The stare of a killer, someone prepared to go to any lengths and do anything to get what he wanted. Or to protect what he wanted, which right now, was Alexus. 

"Okay," the man said slowly, not lasting five seconds under Bucky's glare. He retreated to the kitchen quickly, leaving them alone at the bar. 

"Very mature," Alexus chuckled, dipping her spoon into her ice cream and licking it off. 

Bucky was mesmerised by her tongue and suddenly couldn't think straight, his mind spinning, and all he wanted to do was kiss her and taste the cold vanilla on her lips. 

"Eat your ice cream, it'll melt," she said, unaware of his desiring thoughts.

Bucky looked down at his sundae. It was a lot fancier than anything he'd ever seen before, far exceeding the brief memory he had of eating ice cream. That ice cream had been plain and simple. He slowly dug into it with his spoon and brought it to his mouth. The cold, sweet sensation washed over him and he smiled; it was exactly how Alexus would taste. 

"Good?" she asked and he turned, meeting her clear eyes with a smile. 

"Delicious," he smiled, his eyes skimming over her body with an appreciative sigh. 

They finished their ice creams and payed before heading back to their room. The train had begun moving without Bucky even noticing, but the jolting movement was now obvious to him. 

"Are you okay?" she asked in concern when he looked out the window furtively at the blurring landscape. 

"I think so," he breathed. At least they weren't in snowy mountains. 

With nothing else to do, they sat next to each other on the bottom bunk, Alexus cleaning her beloved knife and Bucky reading a guide to train spotting with seemingly avid interest. 

Alexus finished her task and twirled the blade through her fingers with ease, smiling at the whistling sound it made through the air. She bent down and stored it back in her bag, plonking herself back on the bed. She misjudged the distance though, and ended up sitting almost on top of Bucky. 

"Sorry," she laughed, sliding of his lap but staying close enough that they were touching. 

He shrugged, the corner of his mouth turned up. "Kind of enjoyed it." 

This made her laugh again and he discarded the boring magazine about the various types of train carelessly on the floor. He couldn't care less about trains at this moment. Alexus reached out and placed her hand on top is his left, feeling the cold and smooth metal beneath her fingers. 

"You can feel everything?" she said softly. He nodded. 

Her other hand moved towards his chest, and he tensed for a moment before scolding himself and relaxing. Her fingers pulled down the zip of the hoody he was wearing and he shrugged off the material, leaving his torso clad in just a tshirt and exposing his whole metal arm. Her fingers trailed softly upwards and at a certain point, he squirmed, his face twisting into a laugh. 

"You're ticklish!" Alexus said, her eyebrows shooting up in delight, and she moved to touch him there again but he pulled back swiftly, shaking his head. "Okay, okay, I promise I won't," she laughed. 

He let her resume her exploration and while she did, he traced his eyes over her face again, marvelling at her soft skin and lips that were constantly toyed with by her teeth. It was rather distracting. 

Her hands reached his upper arm she met his gaze, both of them leaning into each other. Bucky felt like he had done in the hotel, only this time he was determined not to be interupted. He brought his right hand up to rest on her neck and she moved closer so that their legs pressed together like a jigsaw puzzle. 

And Bucky was falling, deeper and deeper, but it wasn't a bad fall. In fact, it didn't feel like falling at all, it was more like flying. And then Alexus' lips were brushing his again, their warmth and softness all he could think about and he leant the last inch closer to kiss her properly and there were butterflies in his stomach and his heart was doing little flips and his mind was chanting Alexus Alexus Alexus Alexus. 

She brought her other hand up to his hair, pulling him closer to her. His lips tasted like the ice cream they just ate, but warmer, warming her to her very core and melting her heart little by little. His lips were gentle and hesitant at first, as though he wasn't quite sure of what he was doing, but after a few moments his hands pulled her closer and his lips demanded more. He darted his tounge and she met it with hers, tasting each other revelling in the sensation of being this close. Their lips worked together and Alexus felt Bucky's hands roaming over her body - her neck, her arms, her hips, her thighs and she moaned into the kiss, moving her own hands to grip his muscular arms.

Eventually, they had to part for air (how inconvenient, Bucky thought), and they sat, Alexus practically on top of him, their arms wrapped around each and foreheads pressed together and as they breathed each other in. And then Bucky whispered one word that made Alexus smile and her heart pound. 

"More."


	7. Out of Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Explicit sexual content in this chapter. I'm serious it's literally just smut and I'm sorry but I'm not even ashamed.   
> Enjoy!

All Bucky could feel was Alexus. He was kissing her desperately, savouring her touch and taste and smell and never wanting to let her go. She was lying underneath him, one of her legs wrapped around his waist in an effort to draw him closer to her as his hands moved over her warm body. 

"God, I have thought about this for a long time," she said breathlessly as his lips found their way to her soft neck, leaving wet and hot kisses under her jaw. 

The idea of her desiring him and dreaming of him made his head spin more than it already was and he pressed his hips into her, enjoying the absolute pleasure it caused and the noise she made.

She wound her hands in his hair, pulling and tugging it gently and making Bucky's lips more urgent. He was overwhelmed by his senses, he couldn't think straight and he had stopped thinking logically a long time ago, giving in to his feelings and urges and finding himself becoming more and more confident as he learnt things about Alexus' body. For example, if he bit down on her skin just below the right side of her jaw, she would moan and arch her back up into his chest. He did that a lot. 

Alexus ran her hands over the smooth skin on his back, skimming over the juncture between flesh and metal and then trailing downwards to the buttons in his jeans. She palmed his crotch, noticing he was already semi-hard and he gasped against her mouth, his hands gripping her hips. He ground himself into her, years of suppression and lack of human contact fuelling his actions. 

"Alexus," he moaned as she slipped her hand under his jeans, passing gently over his boxers. 

He gained enough control to raise his head from where it had been resting, buried in her neck, and press his lips to hers and lick into her mouth. 

"You're wearing too many clothes," he mumbled against her insistent lips and slipped his flesh hand under her top. 

Alexus shivered at the slightly ticklish touch of his hand and kissed him again, their tongues tasting each other. 

"What are you gonna do?" she retorted, playfully nibbling his lip and pressing her breasts into him, listening to the groan it illicited. 

Bucky's eyes darkened with lust as he looked down at Alexus' body, sprawled beneath him, her legs spread wide so he could fit perfectly against her body. Her lips were red and wet, her eyes full of want and her goddamn hand was still brushing his crotch, becoming firmer. She smirked when his breath caught and kept her hand moving, under his boxers now, and then touching him directly, soft fingers working skilfully, up and down, her vanilla breath mingling with his, her breasts pressing against his bare chest...

"Stop," he panted, knowing if she kept going it would be over all too quickly. And he didn't want this to be over.

She looked surprised, quickly withdrawing her hand. He missed it straight away. 

"Is this okay?" she asked uncertainly. "We can stop if-" 

"No," he cut her off, kissing her lips and curling his fingers in her hair. "I just... I won't last long," he said, slightly embarrassed. "It's been a long time. I think." 

"That's okay," Alexus murmered, kissing his along his jaw. "So, what are you gonna do about my clothes?" she said with a smirk, pushing her chest up purposefully. Bucky stifled what would have been a very undignified noise and gazed down at her, eyes dropping to her half exposed breasts. 

"I'm going," he said, leaning down and kissing the top of her breasts, "to rip them off." 

If Alexus was turned on before, it was nothing compared to what happened to her body when he uttered those words, his hands pushing her top up roughly and his lips exploring the exposed skin. The material was thrown carelessly to the floor and he turned his attention to her bra, his right hand trying to figure out how to open it. He tried for several seconds, but without success, making Alexus giggle. 

"Goddam it," he muttered, breaking their kiss to concentrate on what his fingers were doing and making Alexus laugh even harder. 

"You want me to try?" she panted in between bursts of laughter and reached behind her back, easily popping open the clasp straight away. 

He shook his head in bemusement. "You're gonna have to teach me how to do that," he said as he slowly drew the straps down her arms, leaving her upper body completely naked and making his heart beat faster. 

"Maybe you're a virgin," she giggled, biting her lip. 

His eyes flickered up to her face and he tried to look suitably offended. 

"Maybe your bra is just weird," he replied. 

She started the speak again but he cut her off with his lips, pressing his bare chest against hers and causing both of them to moan at the sensation of bare skin on bare skin (and metal). He felt her hands tangle in his hair again and he made an appreciative noise; it reminded him of her washing his hair and he enjoyed it immensely. 

His lips left her mouth and moved to the curve of her breasts, licking and nibbling at her sensitive skin and she cursed and squeezed his arm when his wet tongue swiped over her nipple tentatively. He glanced at her face, her head throw back against the pillow and her eyes closed and he concluded that she liked her nipples being kissed and toyed with, so he carried on. 

He took one of ner nipples in his right hand and tended to the other with his mouth, pleasure building up inside him as she gasped and writhed beneath him, occasionally cursing his name. He loved the way she bit her lip as she dug her hands into his hair, pressing him further into her and he responded enthusiastically. 

"Bucky," she said breathlessly when his lips continued moving down her body. 

His hands deftly opened the zip on her trousers, pulling them off of her legs with urgency and discarding them on the floor. He knelt between her legs, her body layed out before him! completely bare aside from the blue lace panties she wore. Alexus felt herself squirm slightly under his intense gaze, aware of him looking at every inch of her but his eyes didn't seem to find any imperfections in her.

Bucky slowly lent forward, brushing his nose up against the inside of her thigh and her legs spread wider involuntarily, making him smile. His mouth reached the band of her underwear and he hooked his fingers into each side. 

"Is this okay?" he asked quietly against her skin. 

"Jesus God, yes, just hurry up," came the reply and he grinned, sliding the thin material down her legs and off her body, kissing soft circles around her centre, but not giving her what she wanted. Her hips writhed and she breathed out in frustration as his hands brushed up and down her thighs. 

"Bucky, if you dont hurry up, I-" she stopped abruptly as his tongue licked slowly down her centre, making her hands grip the sheets and her hips buck upwards. It had been far too long since Alexus had felt this much pleasure, or maybe she never had. She couldn't recall sex ever being this good.

Bucky experimented and found she liked it best when he kissed her clit deeply with his tongue while his fingers pumped in and out of her. He could feel his own arousement grow as she came undone beneath him, groaning and breathing heavily and his tongue worked her into a state of ecstasy. 

"Oh god, Bucky," she moaned, her hands in his hair, pressing him into her. "Fuck," she said breathlessly and this turned him on even more. Women of the 1940s had never spoken with that sort of language, and he loved it. 

Alexus' curses increased until she slipped over the edge into her orgasm, his name falling repeatedly from her lips and making him feel warm inside. 

"Bucky, Bucky, Bucky..." she breathed, pulling him up to her and kissing him deeply. "I don't think you're a virgin," she mumbled against his urgent kiss and he smiled.

She undid his jeans with her swift hands and pushed them down his legs, letting him kick them off his ankles, doing the same to his boxers. He kissed her again, her hands moving over his body and making his desire grow. Her hand stroked his length up and down, illiciting groans from him as she nibbled at his jaw.

"Like this?" she asked him and he nodded, brushing his nose against hers and kissing her warm lips. 

"If I hurt you, please say," he murmered against her mouth. "And if I'm not very good, I'm sorry, I'm a bit out of practice and-"

"Bucky," she laughed, her hands cupping his face. "Don't think as much, just do what you feel." 

"Okay," he breathed, placing another kiss on her lips and then guiding himself to her entrance and pushing forward. 

The feeling of entering her alone made him stifle a gasp and Alexus exhaled sharply, her hands gripping his shoulders and her eyes squeezing shut. She was so warm and tight and once he was resting fully inside her, Bucky waited, knowing the feeling must be uncomfortable for her. 

"Are you okay?" he breathed and she opened her eyes.

"Yeah," she nodded. "You can move."

He pulled nearly all the way out and then thrusted slowly back inside her, both if them moaning in pleasure as he repeated the action, speeding up with each thrust. 

"Faster," she asked breathlessly and he complied, cursing and groaning at the feeling and burying his head in her neck.

His thrusts became harder and deeper as time progressed, both of them coming undone as he worked in her.

"God, Alexus," he groaned, biting her neck which made her curse and buck her hips. "I'm nearly there," he panted, feeling heat building up in the pit of his stomach. 

Alexus was close, so close, and Bucky knew it. She groaned loudly when one of his hands came to toy with her nipple, squeezing it and biting her neck, and his thrusts were becoming faster and deeper, his tongue on her skin, his hand in her hair, his pelvis grinding her clit with every thrust-

And Alexus fell into her second orgasm, a string of curses spilling from her mouth, as well as his name and he loved it, knowing it was he who was responsible for her pleasure. The pulsing of her walls and her breathless moans easily pushed him over the edge and her name fell repeatedly from his lips as he came, his thrusts slowing and becoming more irregular until he stilled inside her, the only sound their heavy breathing. 

Alexus tilted her head and kissed him, their tongues working together lazily and their hands resting easily on the other's body. Bucky pulled out of her and rolled to her side, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her close.

"Yeah, definitely not a virgin," she giggled, snuggling into his side as he laughed. 

"So... it was good?" he asked, a small frown on his features.

"It was bloody fantastic, Bucky," she said, kissing him softly again. 

She reached over and thumbed the light switch off, leaving their room in darkness as Bucky pulled the covers over them. The bed wasn't meant for two people, so they had to press together tightly, but Bucky wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Night," Alexus sighed sleepily into his chest.

"Night," Bucky whispered with a smile.

And for the first time in 70 years, Bucky slept without nightmares. 


	8. Support

After an enjoyable two days, spent mostly in the seclusion of their room, Bucky and Alexus exited the station in Polatsk, a small town in northern Belarus. Alexus estimated it was about a two hour drive to where the Hyrda prison was meant to be, so she kissed Bucky's lips quickly, told him to wait outside the station and jogged to the Audi garage she knew was two streets away. It was almost too easy to sneak into the back - she had at least wanted two, maybe three cameras to dispose of - and she easily picked the lock on the filing cabinet where the brand new car keys were kept. 

"што ты робіш тут?" an aggressive voice said from behind her. 

Alexus spoke French, Italian, Russian, Lithuanian and Japanese, but she definitely did not speak Belarusian and so had no idea what the man had said exactly, but she understood his tone perfectly well. 

She pulled down her top a good few inches, exposing her cleavage, before she turned to him, hoping to look suitably confused, lost and dainty. He was probably in his 30s, weighed over 210lbs and she could see he was armed with two - no, three - guns under his jacket. 

"вы страцілі? вы не можаце быць тут," he spoke again a lot more softly and with a smile that he probably thought was alluring. 

Alexus shook her head, gesturing that she didn't understand and walking towards him, exaggerating the sway of her hips. She even batted her damn eyelashes at him when she was closer and the man grinned openly now.

She waited until his eyes dropped to her chest and then she struck, the side of her fist slamming against his temple, dazing him and making him stumble back a few steps. She took two quick steps and used the desk in the room to jump up, twisting in mid air so that her legs wrapped around his neck. Her momentum flipped him to the ground, his head hitting the door on the way down. Alexus landed in a crouch and the man didn't get up. 

Served him right for looking. Bucky would be proud, she thought. 

She resumed her search for the right set of keys and when she found them she grinned, turning on her heel and walking towards the showroom, unlocking the brand new car and climbing in. 

~~~

Bucky had watched her jog away and had tried not to worry about her, reminding himself she had once pinned him to the ground, and if she could do that, he doubted anyone could cross her and walk away. 

Just under 10 minutes later, he heard the roar of an engine; a powerful, savage, loud engine that caused the few elderly Belarusians that were present in the station to look up in alarm. And then the car came tearing round the corner, stopping sharply next to him with Alexus grinning in the front. It was matt black, very close to the ground and reminded him of some sort of lethal predator.

"It's nice, right?" she gestured to the car with proud smile and he copied what she often did by rolling his eyes, throwing the bags in the small back and climbing in next to her. 

He was about to speak when there was yelling from behind them and a few men came running down the street, their faces angry and red. Alexus glanced in the rear view mirror and chuckled, pressing lightly on the gas pedal and making them shoot forward. The engine growled and they left the angry men far behind them. 

"Did you roll your eyes at me back there?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow. 

"I learnt from the best," he smiled and she laughed. 

She was in good spirits after her small run in with the car garage owner and the thrill she felt after stealing - ahem, acquiring - the Audi R8, a car she had dreamed of driving for many years. She turned onto a road pointing north and pressed on the accelerator, laughing as the car responded beautifully. 

"You're insane," Bucky informed her with a fond smile over the roar of the engine. "No one should enjoy going this quickly." 

"What about you?" she called back. 

He smiled, "I guess I'm insane, too." 

~~~~~~~

Alexus shifted her weight, stretching one leg out in front of her briefly. She had been crouched down in the same position for far too long as they watched the grey prison from their vantage point on the hill, and her left leg was beginning to cramp. She was also freezing cold, having changed back into her combat gear which, while looking awesome (tight, black leather top, skin tight trousers, heavy boots and several gun and knife holsters), was just not practical for cold weather. She frowned, rubbing her arms to try to warm up. Maybe she should consider a fleece-based outfit. It might not cut the same striking look, but it would be a hell of a lot warmer. 

"Any changes?" she murmered. 

"No," Bucky replied, keeping the binoculars fixed to his face. 

Alexus tried not to sigh with impatience. She wanted to go down there now, to storm the building, punch anyone who stood in her way and get Steve the hell out of there. But she stayed where she was. Years of training had taught her that there was nothing more dangerous than running into a hostile situation with no clue of the security, layout or opponents you were going to face. 

They were both silent for a whole longer and Alexus began thinking about how Bucky was coping with the thought of seeing Steve again. 

"Do you remember him?" she asked quietly and he stiffened slightly, not removing the binoculars and was quiet for a few moments.

"Glimpses," he said, "that's all I get. I remember him standing up to a bully at a school. For me, I think. And I remember his parents dying. And the night before I was sent to war. And being... tortured by Zola and him rescuing me." 

Bucky went silent again and let the binoculars fall from his face. Alexus saw it was etched with sadness, with loss of a friend he didn't know, regret of a lifetime he couldn't remember. She reached for him and he gripped her back, not realising how much he needed her support until he was clinging to her desperately. 

Alexus hated Hdrya passionately. She hated them for the torture they had inflicted on him in the war and hated them for the weapon they had turned him into. She hated them for wiping his memory again and again, hated them for treating him as something less than human and for taking away his freedom. 

"I... I want to see him," he said slowly and his voice cracked, making her cling to him more tightly. "But I... I don't know if I will be enough. I might not be the right Bucky. He might not like me," he whispered, his hands holding onto her desperately. 

Alexus almost felt her heart crack in half for the pain Bucky felt and she wished she could make him happier. 

"Bucky, please, please don't think like that," she said fiercly, but she felt his hot, wet tears on her neck. "No, no, don't cry. Please, don't be sad," she pleaded, turning his face to look at her. "Bucky, listen. I've known Steve a long time and I was helping him find you before Hydra kidnapped him. All he wanted, more than anything, was to help you. He didn't question what you'd be like, or whether you would still be his Bucky. He doesn't care about that. You are Bucky, and regardless of whether that's the exact same Bucky Steve Rogers knew 70 years ago, it doesn't matter. All he cares about is your happiness. If you are happy, Steve will be more than happy, I promise you," she said, desperately wanting him to understand. 

She wiped his tears gently from under his blue eyes, kissing the tip of his nose and his cheeks and his eyelids, trying to kiss all of his wounds and injuries better. 

"Thank you," he mumbled, resting his forehead against hers as her arms wrapped around him. 

"You have no need to thank me, Bucky." 

They stayed like that for a while, simply holding each other, before eventually breaking apart with reluctance and getting back to the task at hand. 


	9. Dating Bucky Barnes

After several more hours watching the building, they had learnt that there was indeed a prisoner present in the building - evident from the number if guards on duty - and that the only way in and out of the building was through one metal vault door, maybe 2 feet thick. And this could only be opened by one key card which belonged to the Hydra leader with the scarred face.

Bucky dimly remembered him as Petrov. He got flashes of Petrov's scarred face twisting in cruel laughter as he watched Bucky - no, the Winter Soldier - get strapped into a metal chair. Another flash of his deformed face rattling sharp orders to kill, his eyes cold and calculating. Bucky shook slightly at the memories and Alexus had to hold his hand as they returned to their rented motel room.

Alexus sat on the bed with her laptop and used her access to SHIELD's old database to research Petrov. He had a large country house close to the prison, where he apparently lived alone with his security present at all times. He also apparently liked to invite Russian girls from town to keep him company in this house and, this was the part that made Alexus smile grimly, always dismissed his security guards from the interior of his house while this took place.

Alexus felt a plan form in her head and immediately knew Bucky would hate it. But they didn't have any other options - they needed that key card, or they weren't getting in. 

"So, Petrov likes to have, uh, dates while he stays in his house," she said to him. "Russian girls." 

Bucky grimaced with distaste and nodded. 

"And, um, during these dates, he sends all of his security outside-"

Bucky's eyes hardened and he clenched his jaw as he worked out where her words were going. "No way."

"What? I haven't even-"

"You want to pose as a Russian girl, get invited back by him and then try to steal the key card while security isn't there," he said. 

Damn, he was quick.

"Well, it makes sense," she said defensively.

"It's too dangerous," he replied, crossing the room to sit next to her. 

"Why? He wouldn't even know I took it," Alexus frowned at him in annoyance. 

"Alexus, he isn't... nice to these girls. He wants them for one thing and he will take it out on them if something goes wrong."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Bucky," she said, her anger growing. "Don't treat me like I'm a naive child."

"You're not doing it," he said through gritted teeth, his voice raised. The thought of Petrov putting his hands on Alexus made him feel physically sick, and he didn't care how may knives Alexus was armed with. 

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not asking," she said coldly. "You can't boss me around and tell me what I can and can't do." She stood up and paced away from him angrily.

Bucky sighed in annoyance at the fact that she was right but couldn't believe she was being so reckless. Didn't she understand what this man did? What he was capable of doing? The thought of something happening to Alexus, someone hurting her, twisted something inside him painfully and he watched her silhouetted figure with something similar to love as she glared out of the window. 

She was angry with him. He didn't like that. He wanted her to turn and smile at him, to kiss him and tell him she wouldn't attempt her dangerous plan and that she would never leave him. But he knew an apology was due.

"I... I'm sorry," he said softly and walked to where she was standing. "Its just... for the first time in a really long time, I care about someone else beyond whether they are a target or not." 

Alexus turned to him, her expression softening. 

"And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you," he continued and dropped his gaze to the floor, unsure of how she would respond. 

"Bucky," she breathed softly and her hand gently raised his chin so he looked at her. "Nothing is going to happen to me. I was going to suggest drugging him anyway." 

She sighed softly and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. He cradled her to him, holding her tightly against his body.

"I guess drugging him could work," he said slowly, "but if you're going into his house, I'm coming. I'll be one of his guards." He paused and remembered their last mission. "We do this together, or not at all." 

"Okay," she smiled at the familiar words. "Together, or not at all." 

Bucky inhaled the vanilla scent of her hair and skin and imagined taking her on a date. On a proper date, to a fancy restaurant with wine and candles. Talking and laughing and enjoying each others company without worrying about Hydra or Steve. And walking her home afterwards, kissing her softly goodnight and leaving it at that, with only the promise of more for the next time he saw her. Yes, Bucky thought, he would love to take Alexus on a date.

"Will you go on a date with me?" he murmered against her hair.

Alexus looked up at him in surprise and smiled. "I would love to go on a date with you," she grinned. She leant up and kissed his lips and felt like doing more (she imagined ripping off his shirt and pushing him into the bed and making him moan her name like he had the previous few nights). 

"Good," he said, his blue eyes twinkling. "You and me then, as soon as we get back to America."

"You going to get me flowers?" she asked excitedly. No one had ever asked her on a proper date before. Sure, she'd 'dated' guys, had sex with guys, but she had never been taken out on an actual date. 

"Sure," he smiled, "anything for you."

"Can I wear a dress?" 

"Yes, please," he grinned, leaning down and brushing his nose along the length of her jaw.

"Will you wear a suit?" 

"Do you want me to wear a suit?"

"Yes," she answered quickly, her eyes sparkling. "God, you would look good in a suit," she mumbled to herself, making him laugh.

"Then I'll wear a suit."

"Good. I can't wait, then," she smiled and laid her head back on his chest. 

Bucky spent a few moments smiling and thinking about their date before the reality of their mission crashed down on him and he sighed. 

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" he mumbled against her hair. 

Alexus sighed too and drew her mind away from the daydream of Bucky in a suit - with a damn tie, for God's sake - and focused on Steve. 

"We go into town and buy me a dress that will get Petrov to take me home," she said and Bucky tensed angrily but she stroked his back until he relaxed. "Then we trail him, nab one of his guards and you take their place. I'll get dressed and wait in the bar and then go to his house, drug him, maybe punch him a few times, grab the key card and we're out of there. Easy as pie," she finished. 

"Okay," he murmered. "But you have to promise me something." 

"What?" she asked softly, her eyebrows creasing in concern. 

"Promise me you'll punch him at least 6 times," he said and Alexus snorted with laughter.

"You got it," she replied. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much fluff. There will be more smut coming, no worries. Things should pick up the pace in the next few chapters! And mysterious phone man may be revealed.   
> Thank you to everyone who has read it, feel free to leave reviews and comments :)   
> See you next chapter ~


	10. The Art of Seduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, WARNING: mature and explicit sexual content in this chapter. (this was so fun to write I'm not going to lie)  
> Stay tuned for shit going down in upcoming chapters; things are about to not go to plan... 
> 
> Reviews and comments are much appreciated! Thanks for reading :)

The next day they went to one of the two clothes shops present in the small town and Alexus picked out a dress that would make any guy speechless. She didn't really need to try it on, but she wanted to tease Bucky so she slipped it on and stood in front of him in the changing rooms. 

"Do you like it?" she asked innocently, brushing her hands over the soft material. 

The dress was black, flowing down to the floor, but her whole right leg was exposed from a slit running up the length of the satiny fabric. The bodice was tight, elegantly embellished and strapless, showing off her breasts with style. She had also picked out some incredible heels that made her legs look miles long. 

"I... uh, it's... really... um, really good," he blinked, his eyes roaming hungrily over her body. 

Bucky had literally never seen anything this hot; dresses like this hadn't even been invented in 1940, let alone worn by women in New York. Alexus looked incredible, the dress hugging her every curve and accentuating her breasts. And those damn heels, making her legs even longer. 

He stood up and slowly walked towards, unable to keep away and not bothering to hide the fact that his eyes were looking everywhere but her face (he finally understood that bartender). He stopped right in front of her and they stood eye to eye, her heels making her the same height as him. He carefully took his left hand out of his pocket and stroked up the length of her exposed thigh, making her breathe in sharply, before pulling her hips and pressing himself into her, allowing their lips to meet. 

Alexus hummed appreciatively - the dark lust in his eyes was incredible - and licked a wet line over his lips with her tongue. He made a noise somewhere between a moan and a growl and suddenly she was pressed against the wall of the changing room and Bucky had kicked the door closed behind him and his hands were everywhere. He pinned her between his body and the cool wood and kissed her hungrily, his mouth unable to get enough of her taste and his hands unable to get enough of her body. She responded eagerly, parting her legs slightly so that their hips could press flush against each other. Bucky took advantage of this and ground himself into her, moving his lips to bite her sweet spot under her jaw and Alexus couldn't stop herself from crying out and pulling at his hair. 

"Sh," he murmered as he kissed along the top of her breasts. "The shop assistants will hear you." 

For some reason (Alexus didn't really want to understand why), this turned her on even more. The thought of being discovered at any point, doing something that they shouldn't be was making her all the more sensitive to his touch, and so when his metal hand slipped under the slit in the dress to grab her bum, Alexus had to bury her head in his neck to stop herself from swearing loudly. 

He used his grip on her bum to press their hips together even tighter and he suppressed a moan at the feeling, returning his lips desperately to hers before he could make a noise. He needed more of her, wanted to touch her and taste her. His hands reached for the zipper on her dress and pulled it swiftly down, causing the beautiful dress to pool on the floor. Bucky breathed in sharply as he looked at her body, lacking a bra, clad only in black underwear and black high heels. 

"Fuck," he whispered, running his hands up the length of her and making her shiver.

"What filthy language, Barnes," she scolded, her lips nibbling at the corner of his jaw. 

"You swear all the damn time," he growled quietly, his finger tips teasing her nipples and making her groan softly. 

"I was born in 1987. Everyone my age swears," she mumbled as their lips worked greedily together and her hands fumbled with the buttons on his jeans. 

"I'm basically the same age as you," he retorted, biting his lip and breathing heavily as she shoved his jeans and boxers down just enough to expose his hard length. 

"You were born in, like, the 1800s," she breathed. 

"I'm not that old," he growled, squeezing one of her nipples.

Alexus bit her lip and reach her hand out to trail it up and down his rock-hard length a few times, enjoying the facial expressions it made Bucky pull before he couldn't take it any longer and pressed her back onto the wall with barely controlled lust. Their tongues tangled instantly and he shoved her underwear down carelessly, running a warm finger over her wetness. Alexus bit his neck slightly to muffle her embarrassingly heavy breathing as his fingers circled her clit, their train journey's activities suddenly paying off in the evident skill and precision his fingers now had. 

"Bucky," she said quietly through gritted teeth. 

Her hands gripped his broad shoulders tightly as he pushed a finger into her and then another after a few seconds, moving them in and out with increasing pace and force, and Alexus thanked God he had learnt to twirl a hand knife effortlessly through his fingers - it was certainly paying off now. But she didn't want just his fingers; she wanted him.

"Enough," she whispered urgently, widening her legs with some difficulty - she was still wearing the ridiculous heels - and pulling at his t-shirt.

Bucky swallowed with anticipation and gripped her upper thighs, lifting her up and propping her against the wall, their chests pressed together and their lips working frantically. He dropped a hand to guide himself in and he entered her in one thrust. Alexus tried her best to keep quiet, but the feeling of being completely filled up and the overwhelming sensation of Bucky was too much, and a loud moan slipped from her mouth. 

Bucky immediately pressed his lips to hers, covering up any other sounds she made and he stilled inside of her, waiting to see if anyone heard. Their chests were skimming each other every time they breathed, and their foreheads touched, their eyes locked. 

"Ma'am, are you okay?" an elderly sounding woman spoke in Russian from outside. 

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," Alexus called back in Russian, her legs wrapped around Bucky's waist and her hands in his hair. 

Bucky couldn't make himself wait any longer and so he began to move, thrusting into her with quick, desperate and deep movements, their lips still touching as they both tried to suppress any sounds. His pace increased until they were both panting, a sheen of sweat building up on Bucky's forehead. 

Alexus felt her orgasm building quickly and she tucked her lips against the base of Bucky's neck. When it hit, she clung onto him with clenched hands, the waves of pleasure rippling through her body and it took all her effort not to cry out his name. 

Bucky wasn't as successful. The pulsing of her walls pushed him the last inch and he fell into pure pleasure, his head tipping forward to rest on her shoulder and his thrusts becoming uneven and slower. But as he revelled in the pleasure, he couldn't stop himself from cursing harshly and breathing heavily. 

"Ma'am?" the woman spoke again. "Are you alone in there?" 

Alexus tried to pull it together to answer the annoying woman, her breathing still fast. "Yes, just having a little trouble with the zip." 

"Do you want me to help?" 

"No!" Alexus said too quickly, making Bucky stifle a laugh as he panted quietly. "I mean, no, thank you. I'll be fine." 

"Okay..." the woman didn't sound convinced, but then Alexus didn't really care.

What she did care about was the half naked, dishevelled, sweaty and beautiful man that she had her legs wrapped around. She kissed him on his pink lips and breathed out sharply as he pulled out of her, lowering her feet back to the floor and picking up her underwear. He gestured for her to step into them and she smiled, shaking her head as he made sure she was decent before pulling his own underwear and jeans up. 

Bucky kissed her one last time before saying, "I'll go out first. Wait for a few minutes." 

Alexus nodded with a smile, leaning back on the wall as he left the stall, closing the door behind him. She needed those few minutes to recover. 

Not that she was complaining. 


	11. The Plan (Part I)

Bucky was sulking. Alexus could tell from the small sighs and the fact that he was refusing to look at her, even when she stripped to her underwear when they returned to the motel. But she was extremely unskilled in the Emotional Department of Relationships (something to do with her fear of commitment after what happened to Harriet), so she refused to look at him too. 

She knew why he was upset; he didn't want her withing two miles of Petrov, let alone wearing a ridiculous dress and attempting to seduce him. He was jealous and she understood completely. Hell, if it was him that was about to seduce a dangerous woman, she would have long since kicked someone (most likely the dangerous woman) in the head. 

She sat in front of the mirror and applied the makeup she had bought in town with systematic efficiency. She had never been into makeup, and watched with despondence as the face she knew transformed into someone else's; thick, dark eyelashes, dark smoky eyeshadow, perfect creamy skin and full, deep red lips. She stared at the unfamiliar reflection, glad that this was the version of herself that Petrov would be seeing, the fake version. She didn't want to show her real self to this psychopathic man. 

She emerged out of the bathroom and Bucky glanced up instinctively before frowning and looking away with an angry twitch of his mouth. This was getting ridiculous, she thought. Under an hour ago he had been fucking her against the wall of a changing room, and now he wouldn't even look at her. 

"Bucky, look at me." 

He sighed heavily, but turned his blue eyes to meet hers directly. 

"I don't like your makeup," he said out of spite. He was being childish and stubborn and was lying - he thought Alexus looked great. He preferred her when her face was hers, normal and light and the corners of her eyes crinkling from laughter, but the makeup still made her look good. 

Alexus blinked. She didn't particularly like it either, but it wasn't very nice of him to say so. 

"Thanks," she bit out. "Care to share why you're so fucked off?" 

Her anger made her direct. She was done tip toeing around him. She wanted answers. 

Bucky couldn't control himself. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Alexus, physically or emotionally, but he knew he had made her feel upset and the guilt swam through his mind. Then he remembered why she was so put together, even standing in just her bra and panties, and the sharp anger returned to his eyes. 

"I don't want him touching you," he ground out through a clenched jaw. "You're mine." 

From where he was sitting, tense and alone on the bed, he caught a glimpse of sympathy in her face before it hardened again. 

"He's not going to. We already discussed this. And I am not yours," she said angrily, emphasising the last word. "I am not a possession that you can own. You can be with me, but you don't own me." 

"I thought you wanted to be mine," he whispered, and to his surprise, hot tears spilled over his cheeks. 

"Fuck," she muttered under her breath, guilt washing over her at Bucky's tears. She walked to where he was sitting, hunched over and as small as possible, and sat beside him. 

"I didn't mean that I don't want to be with you, I meant that I'm not an object for you to own." 

She put an arm around his broad shoulders and cried out in surprise when he suddenly turned to her and gripped her body, crying into her chest. 

"Shit," she groaned, "Bucky, please don't cry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just not used to how you would refer to women in the 40s," she shushed him, stroking his hair. "Please don't cry, I... I-" 

Alexus cut herself off. She wasn't quite sure where she was going with that train of thought, but she could tell it was somewhere with a lot of emotion and a lot of commitment, so she shut herself up. 

"I can't stop it," he said quietly, his hot years splashing onto her stomach. 

"Stop what?" she replied in concern, her hands still running through his hair soothingly.

"My head... all the feelings... they won't do what I tell them," he said helplessly. "I'm sorry..."

Alexus exhaled slowly, lifting his chin to bring their faces level, knowing that he needed reassurance more than anything.

"Petrov will not touch me, that's a promise. I don't want him looking at me that way any more that you do," she said sternly, holding his intense gaze. "And it's not that I don't want you, I just don't appreciate being objectified. Okay?" 

He nodded glumly, his eyebrows still pulled together in a frown which Alexus smoothed out with her fingers before wiping away the stray tears. 

"It's just... you're going on a date with him before with me," Bucky said, the words tumbling out of his mouth in relief to escape. He broke eye contact, fiddling with his hands. 

"If this is your idea of a date, I am having second thoughts about ours," she said with a slight laugh. She paused when he didn't look up and shook her head, "Bucky, this is not in any shape of form a date. On our date, I will not be wearing half the makeup present in Belarus, and I will not be wearing a dress where half of my boobs are completely visible." 

His mouth corners lifted slightly at that, and she cupped his cheeks, titling his face to hers. 

"And I also don't plan on wearing a thigh holster with two guns, a knife and a hand grenade under my dress." 

"I know, I just... I can't stop thinking of him hurting you," Bucky whispered. 

He reached out his hands to grip her waist and shoulder and pressed his forehead to rest against hers, drawing her almost naked body closer to him until her legs were draped over his lap and their chests were touching. 

"Bucky, have you not seen me fight? He will have his arm broken sooner than he touches me." 

He knew she was right, but that didn't ease the pit of nerves in his stomach, twisting and turning with dread. 

"I know," he said softly and pressed their lips together. 

His kissed her differently to his usual eager and explorative self. He kissed her with desperation and fear, as if she might disappear from his arms the very next second, and his hands held her tightly, as if he was afraid she would leave. 

They broke apart breathlessly and she stroked his cheek tenderly. 

"I'm coming back, alright? We will be back together in this hotel room tonight, with the key card. We can even have sex in the shower if you want. Just don't worry about me, please," she told him. 

"Sex in the shower sounds good," he smiled, kissing her again and trying to ignore the fear that lurked in the depths of his mind. 

~~~~~~~

Alexus draped herself against the bar in what she hoped was a suitably bored, sexy and sophisticated posture. She took another sip of the vodka soda she had ordered, needing the alcohol to keep her head level. She and Bucky had tailed a convey of Petrov's men and knocked one of them out, stripping him almost naked and locking him in a public toilet (it was quite amusing). Bucky had then put on the security guards clothes, which luckily included a visor to hide his face and black gloves which hid his metal hand. 

Alexus had kissed him briefly on his warm lips, promising she would see him soon, and then watched him rejoin the rest of the guards with ease. She couldn't bring herself to say goodbye properly, or dwell on the fact that she might not see him again. She had to stay focused, and if he thought she might not live through this, he would certainly try to stop her. And Steve was depending on her. 

Now all she had to do was wait for Petrov to turn up. And seduce him. And go back to his secluded house alone. And drug him. And steal the key card. Alexus took another gulp of her drink, finishing the glass.

"прывітанне, цудоўны," a nasal voice said from behind her, a hand gripping her waist, and Alexus tensed, trying to control her anger and not elbow the man in the face. "Вы кажаце на рускай мове? Or you speak English perhaps?" he switched from Belarusian, to Russian to English and she turned to face him with disgust, knowing it wasn't Petrov from the lack of security in the bar. 

"отвяжись," she said. "Would you like that in English too? Fuck off." 

"A feisty one," the man laughed with an accent, his large hand dropping to squeeze her bum. "I like that." 

Alexus chewed her lip, contemplating whether she should hurt him and risk her cover, or let his hand continue groping her. 

"How about you use that filthy mouth for something useful, hm?" he drawled in his thick accent, grabbing her hand and pressing it against his crotch. Right, hurt him it was then. 

Alexus moved her hand to grip his wrist and twisted violently, making him cry out and pitch forward as his arm was bent backwards. His face was then met with her knee as she slammed it into his nose and then her elbow smacked into his side, winding him. 

"чертовски сука! что ебать с тобой!" he swore at her violently, spitting blood onto the floor and staggering backwards.

Several patrons in the bar had stood up in alarm, and no one spoke. 

"I told you to fuck off," she stated with a shrug. "You didn't listen." 

"Fuck you," he spat, his face red and his arm cradled to his chest. 

"Run along," she smiled sweetly. "And put some ice on that nose. Would hate for it to swell up." 

He lunged for her, eyes flashing with rage and she stepped sideways, catching his arm and twisting it behind his back, slamming him into the wooden bar face first. He turned and swung blindly at her throat and she blocked it easily, punching him square on his already injured nose. He whimpered and crumpled to the floor and Alexus returned to her seat and sipped her drink. 

"Impressive," a male voice told her from the doorway, and suddenly two armed, black-clad guards dragged the man's snivelling form out of the bar. The cold, deep voice triggered a niggling memory in the depths of her mind. Something familiar, something important. But she couldn't quite grasp the thought - it dispersed before she could remember it.

"I take it you received self defence training," he continued, walking towards her and taking a seat at the bar and she cold now see his face. Petrov. Alexus felt the panic build up inside her; he cover was blown. He had just seen her take out a fully grown man without even breaking a sweat.

"Yes, in Russia," she replied, keeping her voice calm and confident as she slipped into a lilting Russain accent. 

"I hold much respect for women who can take care of themselves," he smiled, but the ugly scar on his face turned the smile into a menacing scowl. Alexus smiled coyly, taking her lip between her teeth and shifting slightly to her dress exposed her bare leg. 

"You have to be tough in this world," she shrugged, running her eyes up and down his body, partly to contribute to her efforts in seduction, and partly to assess how many guns he was carrying. He had two 9mm pistols under his jacket and a further semi automatic hand gun strapped to his side. All were concealed by his heavy black trench coat.

"You do," he agreed, not so subtly dropping his eyes to her exposed body. "Can I buy you a drink...?" 

"Valentina," she supplied. A common Russain girl's name. 

Petrov smiled, "What a beautiful name. So, can I buy you a drink, Valentina?" 

Alexus repressed a disgusted shiver the way his cold eyes were devouring her skin and nodded with a sly smile. "I would love that." 

"I am Artur," he told her. It seemed he, too, was lying about his identity. 

As Petrov ordered her a drink, four girls that were barely out of their teenage years entered the bar and approached Petrov, speaking in Russain. 

"Hi," said one with beautiful red hair and too much black eye liner.

"How are you?" asked another, her long legs and elegant attire making her look around 25, but Alexus guessed she was under 20. "Last night was fun," the young girl whispered loudly as she leant towards Petrov, and Alexus blanched. These poor girls. And this disgusting man.

Petrov shot the girl a furious glare and told them to go away, quite rudely, in Russain before turning to her with an apologetic smile. 

"I am sorry for my... friends. They do not understand privacy, yes?" he laughed, the scar making his lips twist unattractively and Alexus deserved on Oscar for the way she laughed and flirted back. 

After a few minutes, one of the other girls came back to order a drink and leant towards Petrov, unsubtley exposing her cleavage and then placing her hand on his thigh, smiling at him. Petrov gripped her wrist harshly and took it off if his thigh. 

"Maybe we should go somewhere more private, hm?" he said, but it wasn't really a question. "These girls are so... what's the word? Pathetic." 

Despite the sickness she felt in her stomach, Alexus smiled back alluringly. "I agree," she said, sliding a hand up his arm. "Privacy is so much more intimate." She emphasised the last word and met his cold, grey eyes, hoping her smile and eagerness didn't make him suspicious. 

To her relief, he stood up and offered his arm, uncaringly pushing away the younger girl at the bar. "Then let's leave." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter may not feature much bucky/Alexus interaction, but it will (hopefully) be exciting! (idk don't get your hopes up im a very bad writer) 
> 
> As always, thanks to everyone who reads my work, it makes me so happy!   
> Comments and reviews are much appreciated :)


	12. Downfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: there is very slight rape insinuation in this chapter, and general creepiness of a sexual nature. It's not graphic or anything and it's not really that bad, but just to warn anyone who is sensitive to topics like that. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

The car journey was odd. He had a very nice, black car, with a good stereo system and leather interior. It also had armoured side panels, bulletproof glass and machine guns stored in the boot. Alexus immediately wanted one. She was sat next to Petrov in the back, trying to block out what was actually happening (which was a more than flirtatious conversation) and think of something else, which was automatically Bucky. 

Behind their car were two further black vehicles, these substantially bigger and less sleek. There was also a car in front of them, and Alexus wondered which one Bucky was in. He could be any of them; the visors and identical uniforms prevented her from distinguishing between any of the security Petrov hired. Hell, Bucky could even be driving the car she was in, in which case, she was surprised they hadn't crashed yet at the sort of things Petrov was not-so-subtly whispering to her. 

Eventually, they pulled into a massive estate. A modern and, in Alexus' opinion, ugly house sat proudly in the middle of several acres of lawn. Despite it being night, the grounds around the house were illuminated by blinding white spotlights, and the whole estate was surrounded by 8 foot high wire fences with barbed wire at the top. 

"Welcome to my humble abode," Petrov laughed, pulling her from the car. "Do you want another drink?" he asked as they entered the hallway. An anonymous housekeeper took Petrov's jacket and awaited his instructions. 

"Are you having another?" she asked. She needed him to drink something else, something she could slip the drug she had hidden in her thigh holster into. 

"Yes," he smiled. 

"Then I'll have a straight scotch." 

"Good choice," he nodded, towing her into a living room as the housekeeper walked away. She heard the front door close, leaving all of the armed guards outside. And locking her inside. 

He gestured for her to sit and went to an old fashioned record player, the soft sound of a piano filling the room. The minor chords made Alexus' stomach twist in fear and Petrov's calculating smile was doing nothing to help. 

"So, Valentina," he said, with a slight tinge of humour to his voice. 

It reminded her of when someone had an inside joke that they wouldn't share, laughing at someone's ignorance with cruelty. Alexus didn't like it one bit, and she suddenly felt out of control of the situation. Like he knew something she didn't. 

"What brings you to a small town in Belarus?" his hand lightly draped across her bare neck and shoulders. His cold fingers made her skin itch as they stroked circles on her skin and she had to work not to punch him in throat. Just until the drinks come, she told herself, then she could drug him and be done with this. 

"My aunt lives here. I am staying with her, but she is so boring, and so old..." she smiled, shrugging slightly. "I had to have at least one night of fun." 

The housekeeper entered the room and set down their drinks on the table before leaving silently. 

"And are you having fun?" 

"So far," she smiled, an eyebrow raised. 

She was waiting for the opportunity to lean forward to the drinks. She got lucky when Petrov smiled and walked to the record player, changing the record. Alexus grabbed the small vial of liquid from the strap on her thigh and emptied it into his glass. She returned to her relaxed position with her drink as he turned around and sat next to her again, his own drink in his hand. 

He smiled at her again, leaning closer, but his smile wasn't the flirtatious one she'd seen earlier. It wasn't even the disturbing scowl, or unsettling grimace. This smile was knowing, a smile shown to a child who has been caught out in a harmless white lie. A patronising smile that made Alexus cold to her core. 

"Amazing how you overpowered that man in the bar," Petrov still smiled. He reminded Alexus of a shark, circling its prey with anticipation. She shivered as he leant closer to her, his thin, pale lips grazing her ear and his strong hand gripping her arm uncomfortably.

"Especially since he was an employee of mine." 

Her breathing caught. He hadn't taken even a sip of the drink. She glanced at the door, calculating how long it would take her to knock him unconscious and find the key card before security was alerted.

He must have felt the slight movement of her head as she plotted her movements as his fingers suddenly dug into her painfully and his weight pressed her harshly into the back of the sofa. 

"Now, now, Alexus." 

She stilled and her heart thumped painfully. It was all over. He knew she wasn't Valentina. 

Alexus froze for a few short seconds, the only sound his breathing, before her muscles jumped into action. She raised her arms and twisted her hips to throw his weight off of her, but his cold hands snapped a pair of handcuffs around her wrists before she could hit him and he slammed her body back into the sofa.

Without use of her arms, she didn't stand a chance Petrov. She knew from his profile he was a vicious fighter who had been trained in eastern Europe by drug lords and extremist militia groups. She had failed herself, she had failed Steve and she had failed Bucky.

"We both know that you wouldn't make it to that door alive," he carried on in the quiet, icy voice and suddenly the niggling thought she couldn't remember earlier came back to her - he was the man on the phone. "So do not try to, or I will hurt you." 

He raised a hand and stroked her cheek, making Alexus recoil in disgust. "So pretty. Such a shame this evening did not go where it was heading. I am impressed with your commitment to seducing me, it was very convincing." He paused, and smiled wider, exposing his teeth in a predatorial way. "Or perhaps you really did want me to fuck you, hm?"

"I'd rather stab myself," she told him through gritted teeth. 

He laughed loudly, "But you may not have a choice, my dear Alexus!" He continued laughing as her stomach dropped and real fear gripped her body. "Now, do you know why I brought you here?" he asked, the smile leaving his face.

"To find him," she whispered. 

"Yes, very good," he nodded and leant forward to inhale her perfume, his lips right against her neck. "You are the first person the Soldier has met properly since the... incident. It is natural that he has formed attachment to you. And we know he knows you are here. It will only be a matter of time before he comes to heroically rescue you. But you see, Alexus," he sighed, drawing his cold lips over her cheek, "he is not the hero. He is the villain. So he will be treated as such." 

"You're fucked up. You're a psychopath," she snarled, her anger fuelling her confidence. 

"That may be so," he said with that calculating smile. "But I do not care." 

"Why the phone call?" she asked, shrinking back into the cushions to try and get away from the contact of his heavy body. She needed to keep him talking while she figured out a way to get free.

"I had to lure you out," he smiled, drawing back to look at her. He brought his other hand up and cupped her cheek painfully, his fingers digging into her jaw like claws. "I couldn't have you delaying a whole night - you would have missed that train. And those trains only run twice a week," he laughed, and the sound sent twisting fear spiking into the pit of her stomach. 

"Why do you care about a couple of days?" she said, trying to keep him talking. 

If she could catch him off guard, deliver a lethal kick to his throat and then run for the door, she might stand a chance of finding the card. She wouldn't have any way of getting out, but maybe she could give it to Bucky somehow, and then at least he might rescue Steve... 

"I need the Winter Soldier now," he said, and ran his cold fingers down her neck and to her breasts, lightly touching her skin and making her feel like throwing up. "If he isn't wiped within two days, his mind will become too independent. No matter how much work we do to him, he won't be of any use." 

His voice was nonchalant, uninterested in Bucky's subjection to the cruel experiments and inhuman tasks Hydra made him complete. She let the hatred show in her eyes, utterly despising the man in front of her. She readied herself to lock her legs around his neck and headbutt his nose, but he twisted her wrists behind her back harshly. 

"Miss Flynn, please do not try to hurt me. You would not like me when I am angry," he said. 

Suddenly his weight was lifted from her body, and he pulled her to stand in a less than gentle manner. 

"I know how you feel about him, Alexus," Petrov smiled his twisted smile and Alexus didn't bother to hide her anger. "I know you think you love him, you think maybe he loves you too. But these thoughts, they are a fantasy. The Soldier is incapable of love, and even if he wasn't, I am sure he would not love a whore like you." 

Alexus narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists behind her back. 

"I am being kind when I say this, you must understand that, Alexus. He pretends to care for one reason, and I applaud his cunning. You look like you are much fun in the bedroom."

She let her anger burst out with an enraged cry and she kneed him in his groin, then quickly snapped her heel into her solar plexus. The move should have crippled him to the ground, but Alexus watched in horror as he straightened with a laugh. He parted his shirt slightly to reveal full titanium body armour - Alexus had seen some of SHIELD's agents wear it before - and then his eyes flashed with cold rage. 

"I told you," he snarled, advancing on her, "you will not like me when I'm angry." 

He punched her across her face, drawing blood. Alexus was unable to defend herself; her hands were literally tied behind her back, and so she could do nothing as he hit her again, and then cried out as he grabbed her by her hair and slammed her forehead into the wall. White spots danced in her vision and he drew her head back and smacked it into the wall once more, making her gasp in pain. 

"Consider that a warning," he growled into her ear. "Do not try to harm me again." 

In the process of their movements, her dress had fallen slightly, meaning much more of her chest was available for his eyes to see. The position her arms were in, tightly drawn back behind her, made her breasts stick out even more and she felt utterly vulnerable, unable to even cross her arms to cover up.

"My friend was right." Petrov leant close to her, one had stroking her hair. "The feisty ones are so much fun." 

And then he dragged her out of the room by her hair, laughing all the while. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I was writing this I literally HATED Petrov so much. I hope everyone hates him as much as I do. Sorry for the lack of Bucky in this chapter, the next one features a lot more of him I promise! And Steve will soon make an appearance... 
> 
> Reviews and comments are very welcome :)  
> thanks for reading~


	13. Dungeons and Dresses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: again, slight rape insinuation. It isn't graphic and doesn't actually take place, but just to warn those who are sensitive to that topic.
> 
> Sorry I haven't updated for a few days! I didn't have access to my computer while I was at my Dad's house. As promised, there is more Bucky in this chapter (yay), so I hope you enjoy!

Bucky knew something was wrong when the phone in his pocket did not beep after half an hour of Alexus being inside. He was standing facing away from the property, 10 feet away from the guards on either side of him, and carrying a semi-automatic across his chest, just like all the other guards. When his phone refused to beep, meaning Alexus hadn't sent him an affirmative message, he began to plan his entry to the house to rescue her, calculating how long it would take him to get past the 30 security guards in his line of sight.

Then suddenly, the front door of the house swung open and Petrov stormed out. And to Bucky's horror, he was dragging a handcuffed and bloody Alexus behind him, her head hanging low as she stumbled out into the cold night. 

"Get me a car!" Petrov shouted to one of the security men, who ran off immediately. 

Bucky stepped forward and thrummed the safety off of his gun, aiming at straight at the back of Petrov's head. But then Alexus looked at him, beyond the visor covering his eyes. She knew it was him; the only guard breaking line, aiming a gun at the powerful leader. She stared at him and shook her head softly, pleading with him not to take action. 

If this played out correctly, this could be the best thing that had happened to Alexus. She was being taken to the very same prison that Steve was being held at, making it laughably easy for her to find him and escape. The only thing that could go wrong is Bucky - if he tried to rescue her, like Petrov wanted, they would brainwash him again, erase his memories and turn him back into the Winter Soldier. And she would die before she let that happen. 

Bucky lowered his gun a few centimetres when he saw Alexus' pleading eyes, her bloodied head shaking from side to side and he frowned with hard resolve. He would not stand by and watch as she was beaten and hurt by the same men that had tortured him mentally and physically for so many years. 

But then Alexus mouthed two words. "Trust me." 

Bucky stood frozen for a few seconds, unsure of what to do and almost shaking with anger at the state Alexus was in. But he did trust her. He lowered his gun slowly - leaving the safety off though - and Alexus visibly relaxed. 

A black car with no number plates pulled up abruptly in front of the house and Petrov grabbed the back of Alexus' neck, shoving her into the car forcefully, making Bucky clench his fists to stop from shooting him. 

"You!" Petrov suddenly whirled and pointed at him. 

Bucky froze, his muscles ready to fight, his mind reverting to an instinctive kill or be killed attitude. But then Petrov continued talking without recognition passing across his face. Bucky swallowed and forced himself to relax. He was still safe, he hadn't been discovered yet.

"Come with me and make sure she stays quiet," Petrov was saying. He climbed in next to the driver, leaving Bucky to sit next to Alexus in the back as they accelerated out of the estate and onto the black road. 

Alexus had felt her heart drop as Petrov instructed Bucky to come too. It was almost funny; she probably would have laughed if her head was not pounding so painfully. Petrov was going to all this length to catch the Winter Soldier, when Bucky was sitting not 2 feet away from him in a car. But Alexus knew that when he did find out, he would not let Bucky escape again. 

All of a sudden, the hopelessness of the situation hit her. Her cover was blown. She would be locked up, with no weapons or tricks up her sleeve, leaving Steve to most likely die a slow and painful death at the hands of Hydra. Bucky wasn't likely to go unnoticed for any length of time, and once he was discovered, everything he had achieved in the last few weeks would be gone. Erased. All his emotions, memories, feelings, happiness. 

Alexus felt a lump in her throat at the realisation that he wouldn't even remember her. He wouldn't even think twice about killing her once they had brainwashed him again and all that they had been together would be nothing more than a happy fantasy in her mind. Tears welled up in her eyes and she wished she had someway of telling him to leave. To get out of the car and run, to not look back or falter. At least then he would be safe. A small tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away before Petrov noticed; she didn't want to show any weakness. 

Bucky kept his gaze fixed straight ahead as he slid his hand towards Alexus, gently covering hers with his gloved one in the dark shadows, away from Petrov's glare. Alexus gripped his hand tightly, using it as a rock to ground her thoughts and feelings. Their hands stayed locked together for the duration of the journey, but eventually the car came to a standstill and they reluctantly dropped the contact, Alexus biting her lip hard to keep from crying pathetically. 

She prayed that it wouldn't be the last time he would show her any affection. 

~~ 

They had left her chained up in a dark, stone room. It was like a medieval dungeon, she thought with anger. Couldn't they at least afford heating? She was still dressed in her skimpy black dress and she was absolutely freezing. And to make matters worse, her fingers were numb, making picking the lock of the metal chains around her wrists even more difficult. 

They had patted her down for weapons, one of the guards getting far too handsy about it, at which point she had kneed him in the face and kicked his groin and another had taken over. She had earned a punch to the jaw and a kick in the stomach for her actions, but she would choose fists over being taken advantage of any day.

They had taken her guns, knives and grenades, but she still had a hair pin in her hair and after a while of using her teeth and the wall, it had fallen out and was now serving as a lock pick. 

She switched onto autopilot as her hands worked the lock, years of practice and training guiding them easily. Annoyingly, this left her mind free to conjure up an imaginative array of scenarios that Bucky could currently be in: beaten up and chained in a dungeon like hers, interrogated by Petrov himself, tortured for information, being punched and kicked by the other guards, lying dead with a bullet in his head. The list when on, each picture in her mind more graphic and terrifying than the next, but the worst one was the one where he was ambushed and tied to a metal chair and then his mind was wiped. That one played over and over in her head, the details of pain and terror on his face clearer and more realistic each time. 

She was just about to let out an enraged yell to try and rid her mind of the horrific images when the heavy metal door swung open and a pool of light illuminated part of the room. A figure stepped inside and closed the door, running to her quickly and taking off the visor. 

"Bucky," she gasped in relief. "Are you okay?" He moved easily and had no blood anywhere on his body, so he hadn't fought his way in. That meant he hadn't yet been found out, she thought with releif. 

He knelt down next to her, his gloved hands checking over her body frantically. "Am I okay?" he shook his head increduously. 

He used his metal hand to easily break open her handcuffs and chains around her wrists and ankles.

"Now," he said once she was free of her cold, hard restraints, "are you okay?" he asked, his blue eyes scanning over her body. He took in every detail. 

Up close, the wound from where Petrov had slammed her head against a wall was even worse. The blood had dried in her head and on part of her forehead, but there was still fresh blood coming from the wound. She had also been punched directly in the face several times - her skin was red, bruised and split in places, and there was a bleeding cut on the top of one of her cheeks. Her once beautiful dress was torn and bloodied and to Bucky's horror, there was a large, purplish bruise forming on the top of one of her breasts.

"They didn't..." he choked, unable to finish his sentence. He was shaking, barely controlled anger at the thought of someone forcefully touching Alexus. It made him feel like vomiting and also killing someone. 

"No, no," she said and he relaxed slightly. "I mean... They tried," she whispered, "but I kicked them. I wouldn't let them." 

Bucky leant forward to rest his forehead against her shoulder, trying to compose himself. He circled his arms around her, carefully avoiding her bruises and drew her close. 

"I'm sorry-" 

"Bucky, it's not your fault. And nothing happened, I kneed the guy before he got too enthusiastic," she tried to joke to reassure him, but neither of them laughed. 

"You show me who did it," Bucky said, his voice shaking with anger. "Show me which one of those bastards did it." 

"I wouldn't even remember," she said softly, trying to calm him down. "And let's focus on the main goal here, okay? Let's just get Steve and then get the fuck out of here." 

Bucky was silent for a while and she could feel him gaining control over his mind and body. Eventually he stopped shaking and drew back to look her at with his intense blue eyes. 

"Okay," he murmured, and she sighed with relief. 

Bucky wrapped an arm around her as they stood, carrying most of her weight and touching her gingerly, as if she were extremely breakable and fragile. Alexus hated the feeling.

"I'm fine," she grumbled, but had to grab his shoulder for support as her head spun again. "What took you so long anyway?" she teased, trying to take her mind off her throbbing head as they walked towards the door. "I'm freezing." 

Bucky flashed her an annoyed look, but it was laced with guilt and worry. 

"Petrov wouldn't let anyone go inside so I had to wait until no one else was around." He paused when they reached the door and looked at her, his blue eyes finding her green ones in the half light. "I'm sorry," he said softly. 

Alexus shook her head, and then winced as the action made the floor lurch beneath her. "I was joking, Buck. I'm fine, just a little cold." 

She kissed him briefly and his hands moved to gently cradle her face.

"Now let's find Steve and then get the hell out of here," she breathed as they broke apart and Bucky nodded. 


	14. Not At All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really long... I got a bit carried away. I know most chapters have been pretty action-based recently, which I really enjoy writing (Alexus kicks ass, don't deny), but I'm sorry if there hasn't been much romance/normal interaction between Bucky and Alexus. It will come again soon! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys! Let me know what you think in the comments :)

Bucky opened the door a crack and peered out. The corridor was still empty. They silently stepped out of the room, bolting the door behind them. Alexus' head was making her vision slightly weird, her muscles were weak and she felt like vomiting, but she ignored it all so as not to alarm Bucky. As long as she could stand, she would carry on going until they found Steve. 

The pain she could ignore, but the stupid, long dress and impractical heels were severely hindering her progress along the corridor. The fourth time she tripped she hissed in anger and stopped abruptly. 

"Wait," she whispered to Bucky, who halted in front of her and turned to look at her in concern. "Knife," she said. 

He wordlessly took a hand knife from his pocket and passed it to her, confusion written across his face. She used the blade to cut the ripped and dirty black material from her midthigh down, discarding the it on the floor along with her shoes. 

"Okay," she said, enjoying the feeling of being able to move her legs freely. 

The continued down the corridor, sticking to the shadows and going slower than they should have to account for Alexus' injuries. She felt guilty for endangering both of them, but going faster made her vision blur and white spots started dancing, and that was even more dangerous. She had to stay alert and ready to fight.

Suddenly, two visored guards came round the corner. Alexus was slow to react and barely avoided the knife that was aimed for her chest. Her head lurched as she dodged to the side and slammed her forearm into her attacker's throat, then delivered a kick to his head. He slumped and didn't get up. Bucky finished subduing his own opponent and glanced at her. 

"Are you okay to fight?" he said quietly with a frown.

He had clearly seen her lack of focus and Alexus scowled, embarrassed.

"I'm fine." 

They moved onwards, Bucky in the lead. Alexus set her gaze on his head and kept it there, knowing if she lost concentration she would likely pass out. 

"Do you know where Steve is?" Alexus asked. 

"His cell is around this corner. Six armed guards." 

"Should be fun," she muttered. 

They reached said corner and paused. Alexus could feel the adrenaline course through her veins and she was glad - for once not minding her shaking hands. Without it, she wouldn't have enough energy to take on a punching bag, let alone multiple trained and armed gaurds. 

Bucky nodded once and they moved forwards silently and simultaneously. Alexus gathered her strength and leaped into the air, both heels slamming into the first guards back. He yelped in surprise, alerting the others to their presence and she whirled and smacked her elbow into another's temple, simultaneously kicking a third's stomach. The first one came at her again and she was not quick enough to block the harsh punch to her stomach. She doubled over, the breath knocked out from her and barely managed to raise an arm to stop the next strike. 

She staggered forward, pretending to be off balance, and then suddenly kicked his feet from underneath him, kneeing him in the face as he fell down. As he landed the second and third attacked her from opposite sides and she groaned, diving to the side and coming up in a roll, allowing them to crash into each other. 

Her head was thudding sickeningly. Her strenuous movements were making the wound bleed even more. She reluctantly spun backwards and used her momentum to send a kick to one of their heads while punching the other one's throat. Neither got up again and she gladly slumped against the wall, breathing heavily and trying to stop the blood from trickling into her eyes. 

She glanced up as Bucky flipped the last one over his hip, making him slam painfully into the stone ground and effectively knockng him out. 

Bucky could tell Alexus was seriously hurt. She was trying to be brave and play the injury down, but her reflexes and fighting techniques were off balance, and there was too much blood coming from the cut on her head. It was covering most of her face, and she had to wipe it away to keep it from getting in her eyes. He knew they had to work quickly now; she wouldn't be able to sustain this amount of movement and energy for much longer.

He pulled a set of keys from his belt and unlocked the door, leaving Alexus to push it open. They both shivered at the noticeably colder temperature inside the room. It was pitch black except for a shaft of silvery moonlight that fell through a small, barred window in the ceiling. 

"Steve?" Alexus' quiet voice seemed far too loud in the room as she crept forwards, Bucky behind her. 

"Alexus?" a weak voice croaked from the far side and Alexus ran over as best she could, lurching dangerously to one side as her head span and she dropped unsteadly to her knees beside him. Bucky stayed standing behind her, unsure of what to do or say. 

"It's me," she said quickly and the gasped as she saw the wounds on his body. "Jesus, who have they done to you?" she muttered with anger. 

His torso was bare and beaten, purple bruises forming under broken skin and dried blood coating most of his skin. His arms were cut and his face had been severely beaten. His shoulders were slumped forward and his head drooped low, his breathing laboured. 

"What took you so long," Steve murmered, his eyes glassy and unfocused.

"Why aren't you healing?" she asked as she unlocked his chains using the set of keys Bucky had. 

"Too much to heal," he breathed, raising his head. "Not enough food... You look awful," he squinted at her as she undid his restraints. 

"Thanks," she sighed, wiping away more blood before it dropped into her eyes. 

"And why are you wearing a dress..." He glanced up and then his eyes widened as he saw Bucky standing behind Alexus. 

"Bucky?" Steve whispered, his eyes wide and unblinking. 

Bucky stiffened and cleared his throat. "Yes." 

He didn't know what else to say. It was strange seeing Steve up close again after the last time he saw him. More memories swarmed his mind; years at school spent together, the trips to Coney Island, the Stark Expo... Steve had been a lot smaller back then, but it was the same Steve.

 He didn't know if he was the same Bucky, though. And he didn't know if Steve would still like him, no matter how long they had been 'friends'.  

Steve swallowed and stood up with Alexus' help, his eyes not breaking contact. Bucky fiddled with his hands nervously, waiting for Steve to say something else. "Fuck you for trying to kill me", maybe, or "you're not Bucky". 

But then a small smile formed on his bloodied face. "It's good to see you, Buck." 

Bucky find himself reciprocating the smile, a feeling of familiarity coming over him as they grinned at each other. "You too, Steve," he replied quietly. 

"Sorry to break this up, but we have to move," Alexus said, glancing behind them at the door. "Can you fight?" she asked Steve.

Steve grimaced but nodded. "I'll do." 

"Okay, here's the plan. All the corridors are separated by metal doors which are operated by a computer control system. Once they know we're out, they'll try to separate us into different corridors or trap us inside. So we stick together, run for the front door and use Petrov's car to get away." She took a deep breath. "Should be easy." 

None of them looked convinced as they walked up to the door. Bucky handed Steve a knife from his belt and gave Alexus a small gun and turned to her, his eyes filled with fear. 

"If we don't see each other again-" he began, but she cut him of by kissing him, twisting her hands in his hair and pressing her body against the length of his, ignoring the pain. Their lips worked together, silently expressing both of their feelings. 

"I will see you outside. We have a date, remember?" she said breathlessly as they parted. 

He nodded, kissing her one last time before facing the metal door. 

"Uh," Steve said, his jaw hanging open. 

Alexus ignored him, knowing there wasn't time to explain right now. "Ready?" she asked. 

"Um," Steve swallowed, staring at Alexus and Bucky in turn with disbelief. "No." 

"Look, Steve, the sky is blue, the grass is green and me and Bucky have been fucking," Alexus said impatiently. 

Both Bucky and Steve turned bright pink and Steve coughed several times, avoiding her eyes. 

"Now that's out the way, let's go," she said and Bucky punched the door open. 

"So far so good," she whispered as they moved quietly down the corridors. "There aren't any alarms-"

She was cut off by a loud, blaring alarm which made her head pound even more and her vision blur slightly.

"Oh, come on," she muttered. 

They passed through another doorway and it closed behind them, the solid metal door closing with a soft click. Their pace increased as they realised what was happening, and Alexus went cold as the door in front of them began to close. 

"Run!" she yelled, piling on the speed and ignoring the shooting pain. 

An angry voice blared through unseen speakers, "The Soldier is with them! Stop them all by any means necessary, but do not kill the Soldier!" 

"Shit," she muttered under her breath as they sprinted through the door. It closed just behind them, and Alexus whimpered as the door in from began to shut. 

"We won't make that!" Steve called out breathlessly. 

"This way!" Bucky yelled, taking a sharp left. The passed through several open doors, but then there were footsteps behind them. Alexus turned to look, even though she knew what she would see; several gaurds running after them with their guns aimed at their heads. Well, her and Steve's heads. 

Bucky dropped back behind her, his hand propelling her forward so that she and Steve were both in front of him. He knew they would never risk shooting Steve or Alexus while he was in the way.

However, they were apparently not opposed to shooting him in the leg. 

He yelled out, stumbling forwards and falling heavily to his knees. The bullet had hit him in his thigh, avoiding bone. A very precise shot, designed to slow him down but not injure him seriously. The pain, however, was very serious, and he couldn't stop his cries as he gripped his leg to stop the blood. 

"Bucky!" Alexus shouted, spinning and running back. The gaurds were catching up, and she frantically pulled him to his feet. "Fucking move!" she yelled, dragging him forward. 

He forced himself to start running again, blocking out the pain and focusing on Alexus' aggressive voice. Steve supported his other side while Alexus pushed him from behind, yelling at him angrily. 

"Don't you even think about stopping! I will personally kill you if you fucking stop! And don't fucking slow down, use your muscles!" 

Alexus could see the door in front of them was closing. On the other side of it, there was one final, empty corridor that lead out of this hell. All they had to do was get through this door in time. 

"Hurry, Steve," she said desperately. 

Steve grunted and pulled Bucky forwards, but he was still weak from his injuries and Bucky was heavy on his shoulder.

Alexus could feel her lungs burning from running and screaming at Bucky. Her muscles were running on pure adrenaline, and her arms ached from shoving Bucky's back to keep him going forwards. Her vision was distorted and kept fading to black and blood kept dripping into her eyes. But she kept going. 

The doorway was nearly shut and with one final burst of energy, Alexus gave a massive shove. Steve and Bucky burst through the doorway just as it clicked closed, leaving Alexus alone on the wrong side. She slammed into the metal painfully, her fast sprint coming to an abrupt stop.

She leant against the door for a split second, breathing heavily, and then she realised she was trapped. Panic set in.

"No," she said, slamming her fist against the door, searching for something that would make it open. 

She could see Bucky doing the same on the other side through a small window. His movements got more and more frantic, his metal fist pounding a the door, his eyes wild with anger. He tried using his metal hand to punch through the door, to pull it backwards, but nothing worked.

"Bucky," she said quietly, knowing it was useless. 

"No!" he growled, kicking the door. 

"Bucky, it won't help," she said softly, resting her forehead against the door. It wouldn't be long before the gaurds reached her. 

"There's got to be a way," he snarled, slamming another fist into the door. "I'm not leaving you!" 

"You have to go," she told him. "You and Steve can still get out of here." 

"I'm not going!" he shouted, and his face crumpled, tears spilling over his cheeks. "I'm not going," he repeated, softly this time as he lent his forehead against the glass window, their faces centimetres apart, but unable to touch. 

"Bucky, you have to leave me," she said, her own tears escaping. "Please." 

"No," he shook his head. "What about our date. Remember? You can't stay here, " he pleaded. 

"You have to go," she said, trying to close off her emotions and make him leave. He could still live through this. "Steve!" 

"Alexus, we'll try-" Steve's voice called.

"No!" she yelled, slamming a hand against the door. "Don't try anything, just leave! Please." 

"But I love you," Bucky said fiercely, tears filling his blue eyes and Alexus almost broke down. But she controlled it. She could be weak once he was safe. She could cry as long as she wanted once he was away from here. 

"Please go, Bucky," she whispered desperately. 

"You said together or not at all," he said, his voice breaking. "You promised." 

"I'm sorry, Bucky-"

The gaurds reached her and she turned, arms raised to meet the first punch. She knew there was no hope, but she refused to go down without a fight. 

All she registered for a while was a whole lot of fists and boots, and she eventually found herself pinned face first against a wall while her hands were tied behind her. 

She turned to look at the door one final time before she was pulled from the corridor. Bucky was gone. Relief washed through her. She stopped resisting the guards as they dragged her back into the prison cell, the pain of her injuries not even registering in her mind anymore.

Now she could cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel very evil. But I'm enjoying the power writing a story gives you :) I know this is kind of a cliffhanger, so I'll try not to leave it too long before the next chapter. Please comment and review! 
> 
> Thanks for reading~


	15. Patching Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really nervous writing this because it's pure Bucky and Steve and their relationship is already canon and I just hope I did it justice. And also writing Steve Rogers is hard. So yeah, if this is shit, please bare with me. 
> 
> Next chapter will be more exciting, I promise, but I didn't want to leave it on the cliffhanger for ages. Enjoy!

"Bucky," Steve began as they entered the motel room, his hand reaching his friend's shoulder.

"Get off me," came the snarl in reply.

"You've still got a bullet in your leg."

"I don't care! We should be back there, rescuing her," he hissed. "We would still be there, if you hadn't dragged me out!"

"You're no use to her with a crippled leg, Bucky," Steve said quietly. 

"Well, thanks to you, she's probably being tortured as we speak," Bucky retorted coldly. "You should have left me there to help her." 

"You would have been captured!" Steve said angrily. "Don't you see, I had no choice! It was exactly what Petrov wanted, and we can't give him that." 

"It's what I deserve, though," Bucky said, turning to face him with anger in his eyes. "You should have handed me over and in return for Alexus." 

Steve blinked. "You deserve a lot more than that, Bucky." 

"And so does she!" he replied in exasperation. 

He turned and limped to the bathroom, his bloodied hands finding the necessary equipment to deal with his leg. He opened a cupboard and stilled as his eyes landed on Alexus' hairbrush and body wash, waves of sadness crashing into him. He slowly took out the bodywash, smelling the delicious vanilla scent that was pure Alexus. He remembered her softness, her contrasting harsh humour, and most importantly, he remembered how badly she had wanted to save Steve. Bucky swallowed, returning the bodywash and then carrying the items he needed out of the bathroom.

"Here," he said gruffly, handing Steve a damp cloth, some antiseptic cream and some painkillers. 

"Thank you," Steve murmered, taking a seat on the bed. He immediately took several painkillers and then began tentatively cleaning the wounds on his body while Bucky used a pair of tweezers and some medical alcohol to remove the piece of metal currently embedded in his thigh. 

"So what's the- fuck," Bucky growled as he prodded the bloody wound. "Uh, what's the plan? Goddamn it." He had to close his eyes against the pain of the tweezers coming into contact with his flesh. "I hate getting shot." 

"I'd say that's a pretty common reaction," Steve nodded, wincing as he rubbed some cream on a large gash. "As for the plan, we clean ourselves up and stock up on- ouch." He snagged the edge of a cut on his chest and winced. "And stock up on guns," he continued. 

Bucky opened his eyes to look at Steve. "You and a gun? I don't know if that's a good idea, Steve." 

"You didn't use to be this sarcastic," Steve frowned at him. "But then I guess Alexus is basically the definition of sarcasm..." 

Bucky shrugged slightly, hiding the surge of warmth that Steve was likening him to Alexus. "I think you should stick to the shield."

"Shut up, jerk."

"...Why are you calling me names?" Bucky frowned.

Steve paused in surprise. "It's our- its like a thing. You call me a punk," Steve shook his head. "Or, you know, you did. You don't have to anymore. I mean, whatever you're comfortable with." 

"Okay," Bucky said slowly. He was silent for a moment, thinking. "Punk." 

Steve looked up at him and they both grinned. 

"Goddamn," Bucky muttered under his breath at the pain, dropping his smile and frowning as the tweezers searched deeper into his leg.

He could feel the bullet with the tweezers, but, he had never had a particularly high pain threshold back when he had just been Bucky, and it seemed that it was returning. He didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed. 

"God, Jesus fucking Christ," Bucky cursed as he finally gripped the bullet and swiftly pulled it from his leg, immediately pouring the alcohol on the wound and then hissing at the burn. 

"I see you remember some things from the army," Steve commented with raised eyebrows.

Bucky looked up, rolling his eyes and then let out a short laugh at Steve's appearance. 

"What?" Steve frowned. 

"You're covered in cream." 

It was true; almost every inch of Steve's torso had the white, antiseptic cream smeared on it and it made him look like some sort of strange, muscular marshmallow.

"I'm not taking any chances with getting infected," Steve protested. "You're the one pouring alcohol on your body!" 

"To sterilise my bullet wound," Bucky retorted. "How are you gonna put a shirt on?" 

"It'll soon dry," he replied, somewhat defensively. 

Bucky laughed again and shrugged. He bandaged his leg and then set about collecting his various guns and knives that he had stashed around the room, and he came across Alexus' beloved silver knife hidden under the sofa. He smiled at the memory of her refusing to take it when meeting Petrov, knowing there was a chance it would get confiscated from her. He slipped it in his holster, knowing it would make her happy to have it in her hands again. Once he had piled up all of his weapons on the small table, Steve came over to help him pack them. 

"This is a lot of guns," Steve remarked. 

"Some are Alexus'," Bucky said, feeling slightly self conscious. After all, this was a soldier who chose to attack with a shield. "Where is your shield, by the way?"

"Back in America. I think it's still in Alexus' old apartment, before she went on the run. I was staying at hers the night I was captured," he explained. 

Bucky frowned, jealousy creeping through his body. "Why were you at her apartment?" he tried to sound casual, but even he could hear the suspicion and accusation in his voice.

"For sex," Steve deadpanned. 

"What?" Bucky chocked, dropping the gun he had been holding onto the table. "I didn't- uh, I didn't know you were- Alexus never said that you, uh, were together." Bucky started straight down, trying to steady his breathing and not hit Steve in the face, but his control was slipping and his anger was growing.

"Okay, I'm scared you're going to punch me. I was joking, Buck," Steve said with a slight laugh and Bucky let out a long breath with releif. "Alexus is like a sister. We were trying to track you down, but you were hard to find when you didn't want to be. The progress was slow and the work was long, so she used to educate me on pop culture in the evenings. I think we were going to watch Star Wars that night."

Bucky frowned. "Star Wars? I have a tshirt with something to do with it. Alexus bought it for me." 

"It's this film series," Steve shrugged. "She really likes it."

"Oh. Maybe I'll watch it sometime." 

"Ask her to show it to you." 

"Yeah." Bucky paused, focusing on packing the guns. "We'll get her out, right?" he asked quietly. "I mean, she'll be okay, won't she?" 

"Of course, Bucky. Alexus is strong, she'll be fine." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was probably really boring, but I needed to include some development and attention on their friendship, as it is so important to both characters. Alexus will return next chapter! 
> 
> Please leave comments with what you think, the make me so happy and motivate me to write faster :) thanks for reading ~


	16. Hallucinations

Bucky was nervous. And it wasn't the usual rush of adrenaline that came before any operation or fight. He was rattled. He'd had a nightmare in the few short hours of sleep that they got, and gruesome images of Alexus and blood and screams kept circling his mind. Sleep - however little of it Bucky got - and food had helped both of their injuries heal, though Steve was still bruised and Bucky still walked with a limp. 

"Why are you driving so slowly?" Bucky muttered, watching the countryside move past his window at a far too leisurely pace.

"I'm going way over the speed limit," Steve replied with a frown and Bucky sighed. He missed Alexus' driving.

They had a plan, if you could call it that. It consisted mainly of Bucky storming the building and grabbing Alexus while Steve took over the control room. And then they had Steve's 'surprise' to get away. 

"You know this will be a trap," Bucky said quietly. 

"I know," Steve sighed. "Maybe I should get Alexus, then there's less chance you'll be caught-" 

"No," he said with firmly, "I find her." 

"Alright," Steve conceded as the car drew to a stop a while away from the prison. They didn't have the element of surprise anyway, but it would still be stupid to drive up to the front gates. "Be careful, Bucky," Steve looked at him. 

"You too," Bucky nodded and they climbed out of the car. 

They jogged up to the prison, it's grey walls towering uninvitingly above them, and hid behind a wall, surveying the area. There were no gaurds and the door of the prison was wide open. It was such an obvious trap that Bucky almost laughed, but then he remembered they were willingly walking straight into it, and he frowned. 

"Okay," he sucked in a deep breath and prepared himself. "I'll meet you outside her cell in 10 minutes." 

And then he ran forwards, entering the prison door and almost crashing into the gaurds that were waiting on either side of the corridor. They all paused for a brief moment, the gaurds seemingly astounded that he had actually fallen for it, before Bucky leaped into action, letting his body take control of the situation quickly and effectively. Once all of the gaurds were unconscious, he signalled to Steve outside and then ran on, his footsteps silent against the stone floors. 

Bucky's face was drawn into a dark scowl as he ran down the corridors, checking each room he came to in case it was holding Alexus. Any gaurd that was unfortunate enough to encounter him were met with his fist or boot with supreme precision and stealth speed. 

Suddenly, a metal door in front of him began to close and he growled, sprinting forwards. But then it stopped midway. It stayed still for a few seconds and then retracted, opening up the passage way again and Bucky smiled slightly, knowing Steve now had control of the building. He nodded quickly at one of the security cameras before moving forwards again.

Finally, he came across a door with three gaurds outside of it. They saw him as he rounded the corner and one of them actually yelped, hands fumbling for his gun, but he was too slow. Bucky crossed the distance with two long strides and took out all three with practised ease, before punching open the door with his metal fist. He glanced at the security camera above the door, nodding once to Steve. The signal for Steve to come and meet them.

His eyes adjusted to the gloom quickly and his body went cold when he saw her. Alexus chained to a post in the middle of the room in nothing but her underwear, and her skin was bloody and bruised. Her head lolled forwards, and she barely stirred when he called her name. 

"Alexus," he said again, walking to her and dropping to his knees. "No..." he whispered as he saw her appearance in detail, white hot rage and infinite sadness consuming him. 

She was broken. Covered in blood, presumably her own, with dark bruises forming on her once perfect skin. Her stomach was particularly bruised - Bucky suspected two, maybe three broken ribs, and there were harsh gashes along her shoulders and arms, blood still spilling out of them. Every inch of her body looked like it had been hurt or cut in some way and it made Bucky sick to his core. 

"Alexus," he said, more firmly. He touched her face gently, turning it upwards to face him and snarling in anger as he did so. She had been severely beaten, blood covering her forehead and cheeks. Her lip was split and her left eye swollen and her hair had dried blood in it.

"You again..." she groaned quietly, opening her eyes as much as she could. 

Bucky frowned. She must be confused. "Alexus, it's Bucky. I've come to get you out of here." 

"Yes, yes," she murmered. "That's what you always say." 

"What are you talking about?" he shook his head, breaking open her chains with his left hand. 

"My hallucinations always say that," she told him sadly, not moving once her hands were free. "And they always get me loose, but then I wake up again and I'm still chained up." 

"Alexus, I'm not a hallucination." 

"Whatever you say," she smiled sadly. "You know, I never told you I love you. You said it to me, but I just wanted you to leave, so I didn't say it back. I do though. I love you, Bucky. I don't think I've ever loved anyone as much as I love you. I certainly wouldn't have sacrificed myself for anyone else." 

Bucky felt tears well up in his eyes as she looked up at him sadly, her bloodied face inches from his. 

"But I'll never get to tell you that," she finished, her voice uneven. "I'll die in here. Maybe you'll find my body eventually." Tears slid down her cheeks, her face crumpling as she cried. "Maybe not." 

"I've found you," Bucky said fiercly. "I'm real, Alexus. It's me, and we are getting out of here right now." 

"Okay," she said softly, closing her eyes again. "Let's go. Let's go far away... Take me anywhere but here..."

He growled in frustration at her delirious state and his anger grew. For her to be this mentally unstable, the past 12 hours must have been hell for her. Bucky knew what hell was like, and it was nowhere Alexus deserved to be. He took off his leather jacket, wrapping it around her cold frame before scooping her up in his arms, trying to avoid as many injuries as he could. 

Despite his efforts, Alexus let out a hoarse scream and he felt awful for causing her pain, but he had to focus on getting out. She could recover in hospital later on.

"You've never done this before," she whispered inbetween cries of agony. She rested her head against his shoulder as he walked to the door and he felt himself melt at the sensation of her skin touching his bare neck. He had missed her touch. "Usually you cut me free and we just talk for a while. I didn't know my imagination was this good." 

"I'm not your imagination," he said through gritted teeth. 

"That's exactly what my imagination would say," she replied and he couldn't stop the frustrated laugh that escaped his lips. 

Steve jogged up as Bucky exited the room and paled when he saw the state Alexus was in, her bare limbs curled around Bucky's muscular frame.

"Alexus..." he whispered in horror. "Is she conscious?" 

"Yes," Alexus said, answering his question. Then she frowned. "Steve? You've never been here before..." 

Steve glanced at Bucky with an extremely confused frown. Bucky just shook his head and quietly muttered, "Hallucinations."

"Which must mean.... you're actually here?" Alexus asked hopefully. 

"Yes," Bucky said intensely, gazing back at her as he held in closely to his body. "I came back for you." 

"We," Steve corrected. "It was a joint effort..." he trailed off with a sigh, knowing his words were not having any impact on either of them. 

"It's really me and we're really getting out of here. Together," Bucky said firmly. 

"Us," Steve interjected, "Two people doing the rescuing."

"You're really you?" she said quietly, not seeming to hear Steve and smiling softly. "You're really here." 

And then her smile dropped and her face turned into a look of horror. 

"Are you both complete fucking idiots? Why the fuck did you come back? This is the most obvious trap in the world!" she berated them, her voice hoarse and quiet but had enough force behind it to make both Steve and Bucky wince. 

"No soldier gets left behind," Steve told her. "Especially not one that Bucky is in love with." Bucky shot him a withering glare and Alexus almost cracked a smile. 

"We should get moving," Bucky said, looking at one of the security cameras. "Are you sure they won't get control of the doors again?" 

"They aren't getting through the control room door," Steve shook his head with confidence. "I rigged it with enough locks and baracades to keep a hundred men out." 

They began jogging back they way they had come and Alexus dug her fingers into Bucky's neck to keep from crying out. He tried to run as smoothly as possible, but every stride painfully jolted her ribs and made blood seep out of her open wounds. 

"Where is everyone?" Bucky muttered. "There should be more gaurds." 

They ran on through more empty corridors, nearing the entrance of the prison. 

"This is too easy-" Steve began to say, but then a door on their left swung open and Petrov stepped out, smiling his grotesque scowl with gun pointed at Alexus' head. 

"Not that easy, actually," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahaha I'm really not a very nice person... 
> 
> Please comment, it keeps me motivated!! 
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	17. Hold On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there's a fair bit of graphic violence in this chapter. probably not much worse than canon-typical violence in any marvel film, but just a heads up to anyone who doesn't like that! 
> 
> Also this chapter is reeeeally long because there was so much I wanted to include in it and I didn't want to split it up into two because then it wouldn't flow properly. 
> 
> Hopefully you'll enjoy it! (it took me ages to get right)

"Ah, ah," Petrov shook his head as Steve stepped towards him. "Either of you move, I shoot the girl." 

Bucky and Steve stayed frozen, awaiting Petrov's next move. 

"Now, we will have a little chat," he said, fixing his cold, flat eyes on Bucky for the first time.

Bucky inhaled sharply, fragmented memories of violence, pain, orders, killing, punishments, grasping at his mind and he staggered backwards against the wall. He almost dropped Alexus, but her tight grip on his neck grounded him, the human contact of warm skin on skin reminding him of who he was. Bucky. Not the Soldier. 

"Bucky," Alexus murmered, "it's okay. Listen to my voice." 

Bucky latched onto her soft words like they were a lifeline, eventually gaining enough strength to stand straight and look Petrov in they eye. He was patiently waiting, the dark smile plastered onto his face again, and he was now holding another gun which was aimed at Steve's chest. 

"That's the sort of behaviour the machine can smooth out," Petrov nodded, almost to himself. "Once you have been wiped, you will be fully operational once more." His eyes filled with a sort of twisted pride, like a father admiring a son's work. But he looked at Bucky with a clinical stare, assessing his every move and action. 

"You're not wiping him," Steve said evenly, his eyes angry but his face calm. 

"Who is pointing a gun at who here?" Petrov laughed cruelly. "And you don't seem to have your shield, Captain America." 

And then Petrov aimed one of the guns at Bucky's neck and fired. Steve roared and Alexus screamed, but it wasn't a bullet that flew from the gun. Instead, a silver cord shot out and bit into Bucky's neck, and unimaginable pain racked through his body. He involuntarily writhed, muscles failing their orders as he fell to the ground heavily. Alexus hit the ground with him, her hands clutching her stomach with a groan. 

"What have you done?" Steve was shouting at Petrov. "What did you do to him?" 

Petrov was laughing and laughing and then suddenly there were gaurds filling the corridor, pouring out of side rooms and swarming the small space. Six attacked Steve simultaneously, keeping him busy while two others dragged Alexus through a door. Bucky was still writhing in silent agony on the floor and Petrov was still laughing. 

"Okay, enough," Petrov said with a final chuckle. He clicked another button on the gun and Bucky's muscles relaxed, the blissful absence of pain washing through him. Then he remembered Alexus. He staggered to his feet, falling against the wall but battling the dizziness until he was upright. 

"Where is she?" His voice was cold. Menacing. Quiet. Deadly. The voice of a man prepared to go to any lengths to get what he wanted. And as always, what he wanted was Alexus. 

"Relax," Petrov told him. "We will not harm her. We will not kill her. We will even let her go!" he laughed, and then became serious. "But only if you agree to be wiped again." 

"Bucky, don't do it!" Steve yelled from where he was tied up on his knees, surrounded by multiple gaurds. "Please don't do this!" 

"I won't go back," he shook his head at Petrov. "I won't go back to that hell." 

Petrov sighed. "We will have to... persaude you then. I must tell you, I don't take any pleasure in this. Alexus is a beatiful woman." 

Bucky ground his teeth, his anger building. 

"Her body is quite incredible. Once she has healed, I had wanted to enjoy her body-" 

Bucky let out a yell of rage and charged forwards, any tactics and finesse completely discarded. This was purely instinctive, driven by the white hot anger at the pit of his stomach. 

But Petrov barely flinched. He just aimed the strange gun and Bucky found himself on the floor again, body contorting in pain. 

"Please don't do that," Petrov sighed. "As I was saying, I am quite fond of Alexus, and wanted to keep her for myself after all this." He glanced at Bucky as he lay on the floor. "I might have even lent her to the Winter Soldier occasionally." 

"I hate you," Bucky snarled. 

"I don't care. Now, as for that persausion..." he motioned to two of the gaurds. They stepped forward and pushed open a section of the wall to reveal a glass panel, like a large window into the room within. 

"No..." Bucky groaned, standing up unsteadily. Through the glass he could see Alexus tied to a chair. She was surrounded by five visored gaurds. 

"Begin," Petrov said clearly into a communicator. 

Bucky watched in horror as one of the men stepped forward and delivered a hard punch to Alexus' stomach, making her gag and lurch forwards. Then another punched her across the face, snapping her head sideways as she coughed blood. A third kicked her, toe first, in side of her stomach and she screamed as her broken ribs were cracked again. They continued to beat her, punching and kicking and drawing more and more blood. 

"Make them stop," Bucky yelled, banging a fist against the glass. "Stop them!" 

"Only if you agree-" 

"I'll do it! I'll go with you! Just don't hurt her anymore," Bucky shouted desperately. 

"Excellent!" Petrov exclaimed, smiling encouragingly. "Very good. Stop it now," he said into the communicator. 

The men immediately ceased beating Alexus and her body hung forward, blood dripping onto the floor. Her eyes were closed and he couldn't tell whether she was breathing or not. 

"Now, let's go," Petrov said, excitement lacing his voice as he pressed his gun into Bucky's back. 

"No," Bucky growled, spinning to face Petrov. Immediately, three gaurds sprang in from of their boss, the pain-guns aimed at his neck. He ignored them, keeping his eyes on Petrov. "You let me see her first. And you let them both go." 

"Bucky, no!" Steve cried from the floor. "Don't do this!"

Bucky didn't look at Steve. He knew if he did, his resolve would waver and he couldn't let that happen. Petrov considered his options for a few seconds, his cold eyes calculating what would acheieve the best outcome. 

"Fine. You can see the girl. If she's dead, nothing changes - you still get wiped. If she's alive, she can walk free with Mr. America over there." 

Bucky nodded, desperate to check on Alexus. If she was okay and she could get out of here, everything would be worth it. Petrov gestured to a gaurd and a door to the room was opened and Bucky rushed inside. 

"Alexus," he said, fingers immediately checking for a pulse. 

For a few terrible moments, he couldn't find one, but then came the faint but constant pressure and he almost whimpered in relief. 

"Bucky..." her voice was weak, but it sent a shock of happiness through his body. It was bittersweet though, knowing this would be the last time they would be together. 

"You're getting out of here with Steve, okay?" he said softly.

Her head raised a few inches. "And with you," she said with conviction. 

Bucky paused for a few moments to stop himself from crying. "I have to stay here." 

"No..." her voice broke, along with Bucky's heart. "Not after all this... Please..." 

"I can't let him kill you," Bucky whispered, not fighting the tears that now streamed down his cheeks. 

"And I can't leave without you," she said, her weak voice filled with anger. She turned her head a few more painful inches and opened her eyes a crack to look at him. "Together or not at all, remember..." she pleaded. 

"Find me again," he told her. "Find the Soldier and make him remember." 

"No!" Alexus wailed, too broken and weak to move or physically stop him. "You can't do this!"

"Time's up!" Petrov shouted from the doorway. 

"I love you," Bucky said, clutching her tightly. "Never forget!"

"Don't leave," Alexus cried, "Don't do this." 

"I love-" his words were cut off as he was handcuffed and dragged from the room, Alexus' curses and shouts following him out.

 Bucky got one last look at Steve before he was pulled into another room and his face haunted him. Utter pain, raw and wretched, etched deep into Steve's face. The kind of pain and loss that can never be removed or made better, no matter how much time passes. 

He was shoved down onto a metal chair and he was overcome with a feeling of dread. He remembered this, but the memory was hazy, like a half forgotten dream. Snatches of feelings and sensations, but no real images. He was aware that his hands were shaking and he wanted to throw up and he suddenly had a headache and the room was filling with people and they were taking his weapons off him and they were strapping him down in the chair and Petrov was smiling across the room and his head was spinning...

So he thought of Alexus. She appeared in his mind like a bright, perfect star. He let her take over, possessing his thoughts and driving away his fear. She was happiness, safety, normality, nothing to do with his present situation. He could see her as if she was right in front of him, smiling with her wide, full lipped smile, her eyes crinkling up and her head throw back in laughter. Her dark golden hair surrounded her face softly and it smelt of vanilla as she twirled her favourite silver knife inbetween her fingers, the blade singing and shining as she it moved faster and faster and- 

Bucky snapped his eyes open. The silver knife. He still had Alexus' silver knife. He had hidden it in a strap on his hip under his trousers so it didn't get dirty or damaged in the fighting. He moved his right hand slowly, feeling along his hipbone and his heart sang with joy as he found it - they hadn't noticed it when they removed his other weapons. 

With new found hope sitting in his chest, he took in the details of the room. There were 3 people with white lab coats on, 6 black dressed gaurds and Petrov. 10 opponents. Of which, all were likely armed. 

A person in a white lab coat was now pushing head back and inserting what looked to be a gum shield and the feeling of dread returned to him. This time though, he used it to fuel his strength, channelling all of his training, hatred, passion, hope, anger and love into one goal: to escape. 

He slipped his hand under his trousers and slid out the knife. No one noticed. He took a deep breath and then slashed the straps holding him down and leaped through the air to take out two white-coats. The third came at him at the same time as two gaurds and he feignted low and then snapped an elbow into two of their necks, the force immobilising them while he kicked the other in the stomach before ramming the handle of the knife under his chin. 

The remaining four gaurds circled him warily and he could hear Petrov screaming with rage in Russain - Attack! Get him back in the chair! Quickly! - and one gaurd lunged for him with a knife of his own. He easily blocked the move and punched the man on his temple with his left hand, the force of the blow leaving him unconscious. 

The next two were inexperienced fighters and he took them out easily with his elbows and fists, and the last made the mistake of trying to kick him in the head. Bucky caught his leg midair and tugged, sweeping the gaurd to floor and then jamming the hilt of the knife against his forehead, knocking him out. 

Bucky turned slowly, breathing heavily as he faced the last man. Petrov, far from looking angry or intimidating, was literally shaking, his eyes wide with fear. He tried the make a run for the door but Bucky was too quick, blocking him off before he got halfway. Then Petrov tried phoning someone, and Bucky kicked the phone from his hand, crunching it beneath his boot. 

"You can walk out of here," Petrov said, his hands raised in a pacifying gesture, "just don't hurt me." 

Bucky slowly walked towards him. "You captured me. Experimented on me. Removed all my memories, unmade me as a person. Had me do you dirty work, commit horrible crimes for 70 years. Beat Alexus until she was barely alive, tortured Steve for weeks." He was standing right in front of Petrov, who had his back against a wall. "And you expect me to not hurt you." 

"I was just doing as I was told-" he tried. 

"Shut up!" Bucky roared and suddenly the knife was pressed against Petrov's throat and Petrov was whimpering, pleading with him. Then Alexus' voice echoed in his mind, from the very first time he met her. _You'll have killed one more person._

"No..." he muttered, shaking his head. He lowered the knife unsteadily from Petrov's neck and staggered backwards. "I can't do it. It can't kill again." 

"Thank you," Petrov gasped, raising a hand to clutch his neck protectively. "I really-" Petrov began and Bucky punched him squarely across the jaw, making him fall to the floor. 

"Doesn't mean I won't hit you," Bucky said, his voice unsteady but his head clearer. 

He found some handcuffs, chains and straps and set about tying Petrov up to a pillar in the room. When he was finished, he nodded to himself. Petrov was not going anywhere. 

He then left the dark room behind him, leaning against the wall for support. When he had last seen Steve, he had been tied up, on his knees and surrounded by 4 armed gaurds. He was now free and standing, four unconscious bodies lying around him. He looked up sharply as Bucky appeared and his face lit up. 

"Bucky?" 

"It's over," Bucky said quietly. 

"Is Petrov..." Steve frowned. 

"Unconscious and tied up." 

Steve relaxed slightly. 

"Alexus?" Bucky asked, his voice direct and demanding. 

"Still in there," he replied, gesturing to the glas window. "I only just finished these guys..." 

But Bucky was already moving. He took a gun from an unconscious gaurd and fired two shots into the glass panel. Spiderwebs of cracks splintered over the glass and Bucky delivered a punch with his left arm that made the window shatter completely, fragments of glass raining down onto the floor as Bucky stepped through. 

She was still slumped in the chair as he undid her restraints carefully. She was too out of it to register the pain, and Bucky knew there was too much blood pouring from her wounds. He tore shreds of his shirt and wrapped them tightly around the worst of the cuts, stemming the bleeding as best he could before lifting her into his arms once again. 

"Bucky..." she mumbled and he almost sobbed with relief. 

"Just hold on, Alexus. We're nearly out of here, just hold on a bit longer." 

"You came back," she whispered, gripping his neck tightly as he lifted her out of the room. 

"Yes," he sighed, burying his face in her hair briefly. 

"It hurts, Bucky," she whimpered. Her eyes closed again and her body was getting more limp and lifeless, her hands loosing their grip on his neck. 

"No, Alexus, stay with me," he growled. 

"I've got the keys to Petrov's car," Steve said as Bucky emerged from the room. 

 "She's lost too much blood," Bucky said and his voice broke on the last word. He looked at his friend with fear in his tired, blue eyes, and Steve knew he was right. Alexus was far too pale and she was slipping out of consciousness. 

They jogged out of the prison with cold faces and tense eyes. Any releif or joy that should have come with the escape was forgotten as Alexus lay silent and bloody in Bucky's arms. 

"Hold on, Alexus," Bucky said desperately as they climbed into the car and drove away. "Please hold on." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyy! Sort of... At least they're out, right? 
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments! I'll try and get the next chapter up ASAP :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading ~


	18. Waking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind if boring and there is a LOT of fluff... (smut is not far away, I promise)
> 
> Enjoy!

"You still here?" Steve's voice jolted Bucky out of his daydream. 

"Yeah," he replied, glancing at Steve, who had his head poked around the hospital door. 

"Have you slept yet?" Steve frowned.

"Uh, yeah," Bucky nodded unconvincingly, shifting from his tense position in the uncomfortable chair. 

Steve sighed, his eyes moving to the unconscious body lying next to Bucky. 

"How is she?" he asked softly.

Bucky looked back to Alexus. "The same." 

She looked peaceful, surrounded by white covers and breathing softly. Her skin had been cleaned of the blood and dirt and now only bruises and cuts remained. 

"She'll pull through," Steve said quietly. "If anyone can survive a beating like that, it's Alexus." He paused, watching Bucky's tired eyes staring at Alexus, willing her to wake up. "I've just been discharged. Have they let you go yet?" 

"No, they want to check my leg again tomorrow," Bucky replied without looking away from Alexus. Steve wouldn't say he was surprised so much as in awe of the hold Alexus had over Bucky, even when unconscious. Bucky had always had a different date every night, never settling down or committing so deeply to one person. 

"Get some sleep, Buck. I'll come back tomorrow." 

Steve withdrew from the room, leaving Bucky alone with his thoughts and the steady beeping of Alexus' heart. The constant noise reassured him of her safety and he felt his eyelids drooping closed as the exhaustion caught up to him. The past two days had been stressful, to say the least. They had driven dangerously fast to the nearest hospital, which, in remote northern Belarus, was not very close. It also was not very good, so Steve worked quickly to find them some fake American passports which allowed them to fly Alexus and themselves back to America and a hospital that didn't contain rats.

She had woken a few times during the journey, always confused and in pain, but the loss of blood made her weak and she always passed out soon after. She hadn't woken up for over a day now and Bucky hadn't moved from her bedside, apart from when the annoying doctors had insisted he have an X-ray and bandage put on his leg. 

Steve had told him to conceal his arm to prevent any unwanted questions or vengeful Hydra operatives attacking, so he wore a long sleeved hooded sweatshirt. The nurses regarded him wearily and with distaste; they knew that Alexus' state was due to severe beating, and he supposed he looked every part the suspicious boyfriend. 

He snorted. As if he would ever do that to Alexus. But you could, a quiet voice in the back of his mind told him. You could snap and kill her in seconds, it said and he gritted his teeth, trying to ignore it. 

And then, all of a sudden, Alexus' eyelids fluttered and the hand that Bucky was holding twitched. 

"Alexus!" he said, leaning forward and gripping her hand. More fluttering and then one eye opened halfway, the other joining it a few seconds later. She squinted at him, her nose scrunched up and her forehead creased and his heart soared with happiness. 

"Bucb...?" she tried to mumble, but her lips were stiff and heavy and they didn't do what she told them to. She frowned and tried again. "Bucky?" 

"Yes," he smiled widely, "I'm here." Such a beautiful smile, she thought, and she would have smiled back if her lips had been working. 

Her neck was stiff and stubborn too, so she cast her eyes around the room, realising that she was in a hospital. And then it all flooded back to her, and she snapped her eyes back to Bucky who was watching her with a somewhat concerned but joyous smile. 

"What..." she began. She poked her tongue out of her mouth and wet her lips experimentally. Feeling was returning to them, slowly but surely and she stretched them into a small smile. "How are," she paused, "we here?" 

"We got out," he said and she noticed he had scraped his chair closer so that they were practically on top of each other. She didn't mind. "I beat Petrov and we drove to a hospital. Then we flew back to America." 

"'Merica?" she asked with hopefulness. She hadn't been in her home country in God knows how long and she had missed it dearly. 

"Yeah," Bucky nodded, his blue eyes not leaving her face. 

"Steve?" she said urgently. 

"He's fine. He went home just before you woke up, the hospital discharged him today."

Alexus smiled slightly, relieved and almost in disbelief that all of them survived the ordeal. Well, maybe not all of them...

"Did you... kill him?" she got out, taking time to form the words. 

Bucky paused. "I... couldn't. Something you said to me when we first met. And I remembered I don't want to kill anymore people." 

If Alexus had enough strength in her upper body, she would have sat up and kissed him right on his pink lips. But her body was still numb, so she resorted to grinning at him. 

"Proud of you," she mumbled. 

Bucky blinked in surprise. He never thought anyone would be proud of him in his life, even when he was a kid from Brooklyn. He was no Steve Rogers. And yet, Alexus was still proud of him. A part of him wanted to dismiss her affection and remind himself he had done nothing that deserved praise, but he wanted to feel praise, affection, love. He wanted to deserve Alexus' pride, so he smiled back at her and then he was leaning forward, unable to keep away any longer. He chose a spot on her face that had the least bruises, a patch above her right eyebrow, and kissed her gently. 

"No," she frowned, and he pulled away swiftly, knowing he must have hurt her in someway. Or perhaps she just didn't want to be kissed by him. But then she frowned even more and repeated herself. "No." She sighed impatiently. "Come back." 

His face broke into a smile and he leant forward again, their faces hovering inches away. 

"God, I missed you," he breathed and she raised a shaky and impatient hand to his sweatshirt, tugging him down until their lips were pressed together in a chaste and gentle kiss. 

Apparently, though, a chaste and gentle kiss had not been what Alexus was aiming for, and her hand insistently pulled his tshirt until he leant further into her, applying more force to the kiss. She sighed happily against his lips, swiping her tongue into his mouth. He moaned softly and his hands cupped her face and then with no warning, pain blossomed on Alexus' face and she gasped.

"Ouch," she said sharply and suddenly his lips were gone, along with his hands and warmth.

"Damn it," he said with anger and guilt lacing his voice. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" his hands fluttered around her, careful not to touch her but with an insistent urgency that put her on edge. 

"I'm fine," she frowned, eyes falling to his lips again. They were still wet from being kissed and were even pinker than before, practically begging to be kissed. "Kiss me again, please." 

Bucky looked at her with a slight tortured look, but his lips remained a substantial distance from hers. 

"I don't... I won't hurt you," he said softly. 

"What do you mean? I'm fine," she was getting more confident with her words, her voice becoming louder and her tongue less stiff. She moved her neck and arms, the muscles sore but working. "I'm just stiff." 

Bucky's eyes looked at her with a kind of pained sympathy. "Alexus..." he trailed off with a huff, and then turned around and grabbed something from behind him. A mirror. 

Alexus good humour dropped. A mirror could only mean one thing - she was deformed, she knew it. Crippled. Maybe there had been a fire. She had been burnt, maybe beyond recognition. Or cut - facial scars were permeanant, and Petrov had a knife... 

He handed her the mirror and she took it with a weak hand, fearfully holding it in front of her face, expecting the worst- and then she laughed with releif. Just a bit of bruising. Well, a fair amount. Okay, pretty much her whole face was black and blue and her left eye was swollen and she had stitches in three places and a splint on her nose. But at least her face hadn't been melted off or something equally as appalling. 

"Are you laughing?" Bucky shook his head incredulously. "You look awful!" 

"Thanks," she glanced at him with a frown. 

"Alexus. You're bruised everywhere. Your left cheekbone was shattered, your nose was broken, you had to have stitches in three places and you had two chipped teeth-" 

"What?" she hissed, stretching her mouth wide in panic. 

"They're fixed now," Bucky chuckled. "Steve said you hated the dentist, so the doctors did it while you were still unconscious." 

She closed her eyes in relief and made a mental note to thank Steve eternally. 

"It's just a bit of bruising, Bucky," she said, opening her eyes again to find his blue ones. "It'll heal. It could've been a lot worse," she said, lifting an arm up and down. She went to sit up and Bucky opened his mouth quickly to warn her, but her cry of pain beat him to it. 

"Holy fuck!" she exclaimd at the white hot agony currently burning in her midsection. "What the fuck! Jesus Christ!" 

Bucky pushed her back with gentle but insistent hands. "You have four broken rubs, a fractured collarbone and heavy internal bleeding in your stomach," he said quietly, but his voice verged on angry as he rattled of her injuries and his blue eyes hardened.

"Oh shit," she blinked, trying to recall how she had sustained such injuries. "I remember being punched a couple times, but not that goddamn much." 

"Your right forearm is also fractured and you still have severe head trauma and concussion. Most of your body is bruised, and you have several cuts that needed stitches on your torso and arms." 

"This is the most impressive list of injuries I've ever had," she attempted a laugh, trying to repress the fear and shock that was threatening to take over. "It's, uh, all going to heal though, right?" 

Bucky looked over to her again, the coldness leaving his eyes and concern replacing it. "Of course," he soothed, fingers rubbing circles on her wrist. "You just need a lot of rest and medication for the pain." 

"Am I on medication right now?" 

"A lot of medication," he nodded with a smile. 

"That's why I can't move anything," she muttered to herself. 

"You seemed to be able to move your lips perfectly well," he remarked and Alexus smirked.

"Let me show you how well..." she reached up for him but he frowned and leant back. 

"No," he said sternly. 

"What?" she whined. 

"Was the shattered cheekbone and broken nose not enough?" he sighed. "I don't want to cause you anymore pain. I'm going to be very careful around you." 

Alexus scowled. That didn't sound fun in the slightest. 

"I can tell you if it hurts-" she tried.

"It'll be too late by then," he said resolutely. "I'm not taking any chances." 

"Yeah, we'll see," she pouted.

He narrowed his eyes, lips almost curling into a smile. "What does that mean?"

"It means, as soon as I can walk, you are going to have a very hard time 'being careful around me'," she said, shooting him a challenging glance.

"You can seduce me all you want-"

"I plan to." 

"-But I'm not going to hurt you." 

"Sex doesn't hurt."

"Broken ribs do." 

"Bucky, once I can walk, you will not last one week," she laughed, twining her fingers in his and watching him smile at the sensation. Case in point, she thought. 

"I'll last two," he retorted with confidence. 

But inside, he knew he would struggle with one day. 


	19. Lean On Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer-than-usual gap between updates, I just had my final week of exams. I hope this chapter is worth it, it's quite similar to the previous chapter, but chapter 20 will be more interesting!   
> Enjoy :)

Steve came to visit her the next morning while Bucky had left to fetch her some food. He was extremely apologetic about not being there when she had woken up, and brought her a box of chocolates and some flowers to make up for it. He hugged her tightly, mumbling his gratitude for her coming to save him and Alexus definitely did not become over-emotional, and certainly didn't have to blink tears from her eyes. That would have been silly and stupid and even if it had happened, it would have been because of the pain medication she was on, and not because she had thought she would never see Steve again. 

"I'm happy you two are, uh, together," Steve told her once he had settled himself in the chair beside her bed. "You and Bucky."

"Yeah?" she smiled absently. Her attention was focused on the box of chocolates currently open in her lap - she hadn't had chocolate for a very long time. 

"He's good for you," Steve nodded, watching fondly as she carefully selected a hazelnut truffle. 

"I think so too," she mumbled, "he's already much more positive, and-" She stopped. "Wait, he's good for me?" she snapped her eyes up to Steve when she realised what he had actually said. "Don't you mean the other way around? I mean, I'm the one helping him, getting him through his issues," she frowned. "I'm the healthy one in this relationship." 

"See?" Steve grinned suddenly, pointing a finger at her. "Relationship! You're in a romantic relationship with someone. That's why Bucky is good for you," he explained. 

"Not this again," she groaned. "Steve, if every guy that hit on me knew half of what I do for a living, they would turn and run. That's why I haven't dated in a while," she shrugged, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. 

"Alexus," Steve said softly, "I've known you a while, and I know you're scared of getting close to people since Harriet died." 

"She was murdered," Alexus snapped, her hands clenching the bedsheets. "She didn't die. She was shot in the head." 

Steve looked down, his brow furrowing. "I know," he said quietly. "I also know that ever since that happened, you haven't let yourself get attatched to anyone but me because you're scared the same thing will happen." His voice was gentle and quiet, but the words hit Alexus like a train and sent repressed emotions whirling to the surface. 

"What's your point?" she asked sharply, and then immediately felt guilty for being so rude.

"Bucky helps you move on from that. He can take care of himself, and you know that, so you don't worry about him getting hurt because of you." 

Alexus was silent for a moment, fighting back tears by digging her finger nails into her palms. "He almost was, though," she whispered, her voice uneven. "He was so close to sacrificing himself, just so I could live." 

"Do you know why he changed his mind? How he got out?" 

Alexus shook her head and then scowled as her head throbbed at the movement.

"Your knife was still in his holster. He had brought it with him to give to you once you were free. And he only remembered it because he was thinking of you, in what he thought were his last moments as Bucky. He thought of you and that gave him the will to carry on fighting." 

She hung on Steve's every word and her heart rate increased - which was embarrassing, as the beeping of the machine next to her also quickened for Steve to hear. Alexus had never believed in fate or destiny or any of that bullshit, but it seemed like a sort of perfect coincidence and she couldn't help feeling that they just fit together. Her and Bucky. They both helped the other grow and heal - something she hadn't realised until now. She was always determined to be strong and independent and not acknowledge any of her weaknesses, but now she saw, it was okay for her to need someone. It was okay for her to lean on someone for support, and in return, he leaned right back against her.

"He loves you, Alexus," Steve told her gently. 

"I know," she whispered, warm joy curling in the pit of her stomach. 

"He was never like this before," he said. 

"What do you mean?" she asked, composing herself and eating more chocolate to distract her mind from the emotions that were ruling her body.

"He never settled down, always had different girls lining up to go dancing with him," Steve said with a knowing smile and Alexus felt jealousy creeping through her mind at the thought of attractive, happy, funny Bucky surrounded by pretty girls in pretty dresses. "I think he wanted to, but he never found the right girl." 

Alexus couldn't stop the smile that sprang to her face at Steve's words. "You always know what to say, Steve," she looked at him gratefully. "I can so imagine Bucky being like that," she laughed slightly. 

Suddenly the door to her hospital room opened to reveal a somewhat dishevelled and scruffy looking Bucky, whose eyes immediately fixed on Alexus. 

"Being like what?" he questioned as he walked to her bedside, reaching for her hand as he sat down. Their eyes stayed locked onto each other and Alexus found herself smiling almost shyly as his fingers traced absent patterns on the back of her hand. 

"Um, good around girls," Alexus replied, biting her lip somewhat apologetically. 

"I remember I used to dance," he nodded, a small smile playing on his gorgeous lips. Alexus couldn't look away from them as he spoke. "Is that right?" he asked Steve uncertainly. 

"You loved dancing," Steve nodded, his eyes brimming with happiness as he watched his friend with familiarity.

"With girls?" Bucky enquired. 

"Especially with girls," Steve laughed and Alexus' face drew into a slight scowl without realising it. Steve, however, did notice it. "Jealous, Alexus?" 

She looked at him sharply, and then at Bucky's surprised and amused expression, and then back to Steve. "What? No, I- I mean, no. Why, uh, why would I? I'm fine. Not jealous. Just, uh, fine." 

Bucky chuckled and she shot Steve a murderous glance, her face heating up from embarrassment.

"You're jealous of some girls who are probably in their late 80s by now?" Bucky asked her with a teasing smile, but his eyes were earnest and surprised. 

"No," she huffed, stuffing another chocolate in her face. "Did you bring me my pizza?" she asked, desperate to change the subject. 

Thankfully, he let it drop, passing her a box with two massive slices of pizza. "Thank you," she mumbled and he smiled back. 

"I'll leave you guys alone," Steve said, standing and leaning forward to kiss Alexus' cheek. She felt Bucky's hand tighten around hers ever so slightly, and squeezed back reassuringly. 

"Bye, Bucky." 

"See you soon," Bucky replied with a small smile.

And then Steve was gone and they were on their own, and she couldn't stop looking at him. He seemed to be having the same problem, his blue eyes sweeping over her constantly.

"You know I said I wouldn't touch you?" Bucky said slowly. 

"You're holding my hand right now," she pointed out with a grin, but inside her stomach was doing excited flips at the thought of him breaking his stupid vow. 

"I meant touch you in other places," he said and his voice was rough and low and filled with desire and it made her want to pull him onto the bed with her and undress both of them. 

"Oh," she said unsteadily. 

"I'm going to have to break it for a minute," he murmered and the he lent forward and kissed her. 

She made a contented noise at the back of her throat, the feeling of his lips actually working against hers after imagining it for the past day setting off fireworks in her body. Her hands clung to his hoodie, drawing him closer until their upper bodies were touching while his tongue swept inside her mouth, dancing against hers. Bucky's hands moved cautiously and far too softly for her liking. He skirted them along her side, barely touching her, before they settled gently against her hips. 

"Put your hands somewhere useful," she said breathlessly against his hot lips, reaching up to tug on his hair. He groaned as she did so, always loving it when she played with his hair. 

"I'm being careful," he said with very little passion or conviction. 

"You're being ridiculous." She kissed him again, a hand tugging at him to bring him further down, pressed tighter against her body. "I'm not going to break."   
   
"And I'm not going to have sex with you on a hospital bed while you're seriously injured," Bucky replied, disappointment coating his words. 

"Godamnit," Alexus muttered, kissing him again, but he was already withdrawing his body from hers, his hands leaving her hips. "No," she whined, craving more of his body, his touch, his presence. 

"I can't carry on without getting carried away," he said, eyes burning with want. 

"Then let's carry on," she said, capturing his lips. He kissed her back for a few moments, but she could tell he had made up his mind. He pulled away with a regretful smile, tracing his fingers over her bruised face. 

"When you're better," he promised, his words heavy with desire. Alexus sighed and began plotting how she would seduce him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave any comments and reviews, I love hearing what people think!   
> Thanks for reading :)


	20. Going Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took so long! It took me ages to get right, for some reason. Also I procrastinate a lot. 
> 
> These past few chapters have all been happy and cute and there will probably be a few more like this, but Alexus and Bucky aren't out of the woods yet (yeah I'm that evil). 
> 
> Enjoy!

During her bed-ridden period in hospital, Bucky and Steve had filled her in on the details of the remains of Hydra. While she was unconscious, Steve had alerted the local police in Belarus of Petrov's location; he was wanted by the law for several drug smuggling charges, exploitation of tax loops and illegal importation and posession of weapons. 

Alexus saw him on the news a few times, always locked in handcuffs and surrounded by heavy set policemen. She didn't tell Bucky, but just his face made her mind spiral into fear. Memories of him beating her and touching her would flood her mind and make her hands shake.

Thankfully, they released her after two weeks and she couldn't have been happier to get out of the hospital. Despite the bruises on her face and body having faded to nearly invisible, the nurses still tutted and fussed around her like she was an extremely breakable and helpless baby. And the disapproving looks and hushed whispers directed at Bucky whenever he was there, which was a lot, were becoming more and more annoying. No matter how many times she told the hospital staff it wasn't a domestic attack and Bucky hadn't done it, they wouldn't believe her. 

"Where have you been living all this time anyway?" she asked Bucky on the car journey home. "When you weren't living at the hospital?"

"Steve's place," he shrugged from beside her. They were practically on top of each other in the back of the car, their limbs tangled together and Alexus head resting on his shoulder. 

"You can stay as long as you want, buddy," Steve piped up from the driver's seat. 

"Thanks," Bucky smiled, catching his eye in the rear view mirror. 

Alexus grinned, happy that their relationship was developing and that Bucky felt comfortable enough to be with Steve alone. 

Steve pulled up to Alexus' apartment and she was hit by a sudden wave of emotion. She hadn't been home for nearly two months. She had dropped everything to find Steve, and hadn't taken any belongings with her. 

"It's weird being home," she muttered as she climbed awkwardly out of the car after Bucky. Her ribs and collarbone were still broken, her stomach still internally damaged and most movements sent sharp pains up her back. 

They took the lift to the ninth floor, walked down the short corridor and then they were standing in from of her door. 23-A. She flicked the door mat up with her toe and almost laughed when she saw her spare key, still lying where she kept it even after all this time. She went to bend over and reach it, but Bucky beat her to it, handing it to her once he straightened up. 

"No strenuous movements," he said sternly and she rolled her eyes, smiling. 

She unlocked the door and pushed it open and immediately sighed with happiness. Her small, familiar, slightly messy apartment. Her home. 

Steve stayed for a few hours, all of them relaxing in her small living room. She showed Bucky her computer, which he wasn't all that impressed with because it didn't 'project 3D images' or 'talk to you'. She had to throw away all the food in her fridge, aside from some jam, so they ordered a takeout. Bucky insisted on pizza - what else? - and they watched Friends re-runs on TV. 

"Why is her hair like that?" Bucky asked, wrinkling his nose at Rachel's season two hair. 

Alexus laughed, "It was fashionable in the 90s." 

After a while, Steve made his excuses to leave. 

"I assume your staying here tonight, Buck?" Steve said with raised eyebrows. 

Bucky looked at Alexus, who was curled into his side. "If it's okay with you?" 

She snorted, "Of course." 

"Okay," Steve cleared his throat and looked down, "uh, have fun." 

"No, Bucky has sworn off sex until I'm healed," Alexus said grumpily. 

"Yeah, right," Steve nodded, "he's not gonna last that long." 

"I will!" Bucky protested. 

"Not a chance," Steve laughed, pausing in Alexus' doorway. "See you both soon." 

"Bye," they both mumbled, waving as he closed the door behind him. 

"I'm not going to cave," Bucky said into her hair.

"Okay," she sighed. "I believe you." She paused for a moment, suppressing a grin as she turned to face him. "I need to shower, but I don't think I can manage in my own. Could you help me?" She kept her voice innocent and free of any underlying desire, and the look on his face was priceless. 

He gulped. "Sure." 

"Since you're helping me and will get wet, you may as well just get in the shower with me," she shrugged, pulling him with her as she stood and walked to the bathroom. 

"I don't think... that's a good idea..." he said, his eyes squeezing shut. 

"But your clothes will get wet. And I'll be all wet," she sighed, turning to face him as they reached the bathroom. "Dripping, in fact." 

Bucky bit his lip harshly, groaning softly with his eyes still closed. "God, Alexus." He lent forward until their foreheads were pressing together, their noses brushing softly and their lips inches apart. 

She was tempted to let him kiss her, but the more devious side of her wanted to make him beg. She wanted to make him realise how stupid his rule was, and she wanted him to be so passed turned on that he wouldn't think twice about fucking her. 

"I'm going to undress," she breathed against his mouth, stepping backwards. 

His eyes opened as she stripped the jumper she was wearing off. Then her shirt. Then her jeans. She paused, looking at him with satisfaction as his eyes hungrily swept over her bare body, only clad in bra and panties. She felt confident and pleased with her body; most of the bruises had gone and the few that remained were a faint yellow-brown on her skin. Yeah, she had a few stitches dotted around, and yeah, the skin over her ribs and collarbone was still red and sore, but she knew none of that mattered to Bucky and it certainly didn't matter to her. 

She reached behind her and undid the clasp on her bra, keeping her gaze on Bucky as she let the garment fall to the floor. He bit his lip again and tilted his head back, breathing out slowly. 

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, making an effort to bring his eyes up to hers. 

"I'm not doing anything. I just need a shower," she said innocently. "Also, I can't bend over, because of my ribs. Would you take my underwear off?" 

He swallowed harshly. "You're a cruel woman, Alexus." 

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said with a smile. "If you don't want to help, I can ask Steve-" 

"No," he growled, stepping forwards in two quick steps until he was right in front her. His hands found their way to her hips, fingertips trailing over her skin and she stifled a moan. It had been far too long since they last touched each other like this and she wasn't ashamed to admit her desperation for him. "No one else gets to see you like this." 

"Then take them off," she whispered. 

His fingers hooked into the elastic of her underwear and pulled down. He flattened his hands so that his palms brushed over her thighs as he slid them down, and then suddenly he was crouching down in front of her, his hands following the whole length of her legs. When he reacher her ankles, she lifted her feet in turn to he could toss the unwanted material to the side before resting his hands on her thighs. The sensation of his cool metal hand against her burning, sensitive skin was driving her insane, but not as much as his heavy gaze directed between her thighs. 

She breathed in sharply when he lent forward and rested his head against her navel, just above where she wanted him to be. His hands found their way to her bum and in return she gripped at his hair, tugging lightly on the soft strands as he hummed against her skin, sending vibrations to her core. 

He slowly began to stand, dragging his nose and lips up her torso until they reached her neck, where they stayed, placing gentle kisses on her skin. 

"Take your clothes off," she whispered, lifting an arm to turn on the shower. 

"This is just to help you wash," he clarified as he stepped back and stripped off his clothes, eyes not leaving her body the whole time. Which was fine, because her eyes didn't leave his either. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update shouldn't take as long as this one :) please leave comments and reviews, i love hearing what people think!
> 
> Thanks for reading ~


	21. A Test of Bucky Barnes' Self Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta daaaa another chapter! Thank you so much for the comments and kudos, you are lovely and I have rewarded you with smutiness mixed with fluffiness.   
> Enjoy!

She stepped into the hot spray and he joined her, standing close together in the small cubicle. Alexus closed her eyes and allowed the hot water to rinse through her hair and all over her body and she heard Bucky groan as she tilted her head back, exposing her neck. 

He reached behind her for the shampoo and their bodies brushed together, both of them enjoying the sensation. He slowly poured shampoo onto her hair and began massaging and it felt so good that Alexus couldn't stop herself from moaning aloud and gripping his shoulders. 

He gasped a little when her hands landed on him and she remembered the sensitive patch where the metal met flesh on his left shoulder, and she began tracing her fingers lightly back and forth. His hands stopped their actions in her hair briefly as he exhaled, leaning into her more. 

"Do you remember this the first time we met?" she asked quietly, with a smile. That time, it had been her doing the washing, and everyone was a little less naked, but it still reminded her of how far they had come. 

"Yeah." He paused, his hands working in her hair slowly. "It made me hard," Bucky admitted with a strained laugh.

"What?" she said, her eyebrows flying up as she lent back to look at him. 

"You're the one that stripped down to your bra," he protested with an embarrassed smile. 

"What did you do about it?" Alexus asked, partly curious and partly wanting to hear him admit to jacking off.

"I made the shower go cold until it went away," he laughed, closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly. "I was never allowed to have any sexual relationships. I didn't really know what to do." 

Alexus stared at him in wonder. "Didn't seem like that on that train." 

"I remembered more then. I wasn't him anymore," he shrugged, opening his blue eyes. 

"I can't believe I gave you a hard on from shampooing your hair," she grinned. "I'm better than I give myself credit for." 

"Or I just hadn't had sex in 70 years," he pointed out with a smile. 

"Don't ruin this for me," she shook her head and began trailing her fingers down his metal arms again. "Looks like I don't even need to be doing the shampooing, anyway," she said, glancing down at his erection. 

He groaned, hands sliding down her back and tugging her forward slightly. "I may be a super soldier, but I am standing naked in a shower with a beautiful girl." 

"Beautiful, huh?" she smiled. 

"More than anyone else," he nodded, raising his hands to rinse out the soap suds from her hair. 

"More than the other girls?" she blurted out without thinking and then winced, averting her eyes from his. 

"You really are jealous aren't you?" he chuckled lightly, hands gently massaging her scalp. 

She shrugged, knowing there was no way of hiding the truth from him. "They must have all been pretty, and they all wore dresses, and makeup and did girly things. I never do any of that." 

"That doesn't make them any better than you," Bucky said, drawing her chin up with a soapy hand to look at him. "And you have worn a dress, which, without a doubt, was a hell of a lot more attractive than anything in the 40s." 

She smiled, remembering their heated embrace in the changing room, and then smile turned into a grin as she formulated another plan to get him to sleep with her, involving a short, black dress and nice underwear. That could wait though, so she turned her attention back to the beautiful, wet and very much naked man in front of her. 

"Want me to help you out with that?" she smiled, nodding at his hard length. 

"Nope, I'm fine-" he stopped sharply as her hand softly trailed up his shaft, curling around it and then pumping up and down slowly. 

"Are you sure?" she quickened her movements, occasionally swiping her fingers over the head and earning a breathless groan. 

"You should stop..." he mumbled into her neck, his face buried against her shoulder while has hands pressed against the wall behind him to support his weight. 

"It's not my hands that are broken, Bucky," she smiled, tightening her grip and using her spare hand to lightly stroke his balls. He moaned loudly and pressed his lips to her neck, absently licking and nibbling at her skin in an effort to keep quiet as she pumped her fist up and down his length, drawing him closer and closer to his orgasm. 

"God, Alexus," he said breathily, his chest pressing against hers every time he took a breath in. "Fuck, I'm close..." 

She moved one of her hands up to his left shoulder, tracing the junction between flesh and metal and he cursed, his body shuddering at the overwhelming sensations, his lips forming her name with every pump of her hand- 

And then she stopped. Her hands withdrew from his body and he looked up in confusion, pulled back from the brink of his orgasm. She smiled at him and felt a little guilty, but she was serious about her seduction methods and didn't plan on losing their little game. 

"I'm not touching you anymore until you touch me," she whispered, her hands pointedly clasping behind her back.

"I can't believe you," he murmered angrily, his voice rough and strained. "For the last time, I'm not having sex with you until you're better." 

"I'm better now," she said, meeting his eyes. Their close proximity meant she could feel the heat radiating from his body as well as the hot water pouring from the shower head, and the combination of the two was making her more and more hot and bothered. 

"No, Alexus. I will not risk hurting you," he growled. "This is not happening, understand?" His tone was final and his eyes were serious, any humour at her endeavours to seduce him gone. 

"I know, but I just think if we're careful-" she began, reaching up to place a hand on his arm. 

"No!" he cut her off abruptly and shrugged her hand off. 

Alexus was many things, and being easily offended wasn't one of them, but his rejection stung. She had spent her life evading any close or emotional romantic relationship, and while physical rejection wasn't all that unfamiliar, the emotional rejection that came with it from Bucky was. And it was a lot more painful. 

"Fine," she mumbled, feeling tears building in her eyes and becoming desperate to get out of the bathroom. 

She hated crying in front of people. It was weak and stupid and embarrassing and also completely destroyed any sex appeal she still held. She turned abruptly into the spray of the shower and lifted a leg to climb out, but her ribs protested with searing agony and she cried out, losing her balance completely. She should have fallen head first onto the floor had Bucky not darted his hands out to steady her. 

"Alexus..." he whispered longingly, but his hands left her body as soon as she was upright and her naked body felt too unwanted and vulnerable. "Be careful, please." 

"Leave it, Bucky," she snapped, gripping the wall as she climbed out before wrapping a towel around herself and exiting the bathroom. 

She shut her bedroom door and sat on her bed, breathing heavily to control her emotions and the pain burning in her torso. The doctors had warned her of the side effects of the pain medication she was taking: mood swings, tendency to get over emotional, increased hormone levels. Despite knowing Bucky hadn't really done anything wrong and that it was mostly her over active hormone levels, she couldn't suppress the torrent of anger, guilt and most of all fear of being unwanted from swirling through her mind.

She heard bare feet padding down the hall and then a soft knock at the door.

"You don't have to knock," she said softly, raising her head. 

He entered the room cautiously, his eyes holding her gaze with concern as he sat beside her on the bed, a towel slung loosely around his waist.

"Alexus, it's not that I don't want to," he said slowly and she hid her face in her hands, feeling it burning red with embarrassment. "I mean, Christ, it's taking every bit of self control not to rip that towel off and take you against the damn wall." She almost groaned at that bit, but kept her mouth clamped shut. "But seeing you like that at the prison-" his voice broke and he swallowed harshly. 

He shuffled closer until they were touching and then wrapped a damp arm around her gently. She sighed and couldn't help but press her check to his shoulder as his hand carefully held hers. 

"Seeing you being hurt and being helpless to stop your pain," he shook his head. "I don't want to see you like that ever again, and especially as a result of me." 

"I know," she mumbled against his wet skin. "I know you're just trying to be good." 

"I am," he agreed. "But please, please, Alexus, don't for one minute think that you're undesirable or that I don't want you. I will always want you." 

She felt that warm pit of joy burn more fiercly in her stomach and she drew her arms around him, turning her lips to kiss his shoulder. 

"I'm sorry," she murmered. "I just... Without sex, I'm just some injured, fairly boring girl, and..." She felt his hand clench, but he didn't interupt her, so she took a shaky breath before continuing in a quiet whisper. "And, every guy I've been with before isn't interested in me if I can't have sex." 

"Jesus," he exclaimed, pulling back to look at her. "You think I'm just in this for sex?" His eyes were surprised and concerned, but there was also hurt in them. "How could you think that?" 

"I don't," she looked away from his big, honest eyes."I don't, I know it's more, I just... I guess I'm programmed to think that."

"I was programmed to think of human beings as targets," he said softly, but there was a raw anguish and guilt that laced his voice. "And here I am, comforting some amazing, beautiful girl who doesn't think she has emotional attraction."

Alexus' lips curled up into a smile and Bucky lent closer, his lips grazing her ear. 

"She not too bright," he whispered and she laughed, leaning into him.

"Ow, shit," she gasped and stopped laughing abruptly. 

"What? Did I hurt you? Are you okay?" he asked frantically, scanning her body. 

"No, just laughing is a bit painful," she smiled, grazing his cheek with her hand. 

"Oh," he said, relaxing back into her with a smile. "Sorry for making you laugh." 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, encircled in each others arms and revelling in the closeness. 

"Cold shower or...?" Alexus said with a raised eyebrow when she noticed his now normal sized crotch under his towel. 

He laughed, "I'm fairly skilled with my hands, you know." 

"Oh, I know," she grinned up at him and then sighed with frustration as she remembered just how skilled he really was with his hands. Both hands, she thought and bit her lip. "Can we at least kiss? I promise to behave, no ulterior motives." 

She got her answer when he tilted his head and pressed his warm lips to hers, working together slowly and softly as she tangled her hands in his hair. She was surprised when he deepened the kiss, his tongue flicking out to brush over her lips. She responded enthusiastically, opening her mouth and letting their tongues tangle and taste each other. Finally, though far too soon, Bucky pulled away, placing a few last kisses on the corners of her mouth and then a last one on the tip of her nose, their foreheads resting against each other.

"I love you, you know," he said, somewhat shyly. 

"I know," she said, a smile leaping to her face at his words. "And I love you." 

He couldn't resist kissing her again when she said those amazing words, their tongues dancing and heat building, fuelling the fire of joy deep in his body that was melting away his hatred and guilt and anger. He couldn't remember loving someone and he couldn't remember what if felt like to be loved, and until recently, he didn't believe he deserved such a thing. And yet Alexus loved him.  

Both of their mouths were open, the kiss becoming hot and wet and dirty and her hands started roaming to places that would only lead to trouble, so he eventually pulled away again with regretful eyes. Her red, wet lips were drawn into a smile, her hair tumbling around her in damp and unruly locks and her towel had slipped to pool around her waist. She looked incredible. 

"Dry me?" she smiled, leaning back so she was lying flat on the bed, her towel covering her body. He twisted and began gently rubbing the material over her body until she was dry all over, before fetching her a t shirt and some underwear from the drawers she directed him to. He pulled the panties up her legs, closing his eyes to resist the temptation of ripping them off again and licking her all over. 

He carefully pulled her t-shirt on and then lifted her easily as she gasped and protested to place her further up the bed, wrapping the covers around her. After drying and borrowing one of her oversized tshirts, he joined her in the bed, curling his arms around her and pressing himself as close as possible to her warm body. 

"Can we go shopping tomorrow?" he asked, lips grazing her neck as he spoke. 

"Sure. What do you want to buy?"

"Some clothes. And an AC/DC record." 

"Good choice," she nodded approvingly and he smiled into her hair.

"We still on for our date?" he murmered, inhaling her delicious scent as he pressed his nose into the crook of her neck. 

"Of course. But I am expecting sex at the end of it." 

"It'll have to wait then," he shrugged. 

"Damn," she muttered, turning herself to curl to his chest. "When we eventually have sex again, it'd better be amazing." 

"I'll do my best," he laughed softly, closing his eyes as he held her soft body in his arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry they didn't have sex but ya know, Bucky's got his rules. Alexus is cunning though, so don't worry about it.   
> Thanks for reading :)


	22. Music and Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took to long! Hopefully the smut will make up for it ... :)   
> Enjoy ~

Alexus took him shopping, which he loved because of the range of colours and styles available in 2014. While he was trying on some jeans, she bought something for herself, grinning the whole time. She hid the purchase at the bottom of a bag and by the time he was out of the changing room, she was exactly where he had left her. She had to steer him away from many questionable shirts and hats, but couldn't stop him from buying a pair of neon green shoes with light-up soles - "This is amazing! Why doesn't everyone have a pair?" - and then introduced him to the wonders of CDs. 

He picked out one AC/DC album (Back in Black, 1980), but Alexus wasn't having any of that. She breezed round the store as best she could with broken ribs, picking out iconic albums from each century Bucky had missed - the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Elvis, Elton John, the Police, the Rolling Stones. She even put Justin Timberlake on the pile. He was happy and relaxed and Alexus felt like an annoying, normal and loved up couple that, a month ago, she would have rolled her eyes at. 

The only thing that ruined Bucky's mood was the guy that knocked into her as they were leaving. Normally, she wouldn't have blinked, but the stranger's shoulder collided with hers and made her collarbone jerk backwards. Which, when said collarbone is broken, was extremely painful. She cursed at the man in colourful language, and then swore again as Bucky began sauntering after the culprit, eyes cold and angry.

"Bucky, no," she warned, catching up to him and grabbing his arm. "You can't do that." 

"He hurt you," he replied as if that completely justified any course of action.

"It was an accident," she said, "he doesn't need to be told off."

"He does if you're hurt. Are you okay?" His eyes adjusted from angry to concerned and he pulled her into his arms protectively and began pressing kisses over her face, his warm breath washing over her and his nose grazing her skin.

"I'm fine," she smiled at his concern. "Now get off, PDAs are gross," she whined, conscious of the other shoppers passing them on the street. 

"What's a PDA?" he wrinkled his nose, but didn't loosen his hold as he kissed her jawline.

"A public display of affection, and they make everyone involved uncomfortable," she laughed, squirming in his grip. 

"But I want to kiss you," he offered, his lips coming a slight pout. 

"Yeah, you're adorable, but we can kiss in my apartment. In private." 

She could tell Bucky's resolve on his no-sex petition was weakening by the way he had her pinned up against her front door, grinding into her while his hands moved over her breasts and his tongue invaded her mouth. She could feel he was already hard under his jeans, and she angled her hips forward to give him more friction and he groaned, pressing into her. 

"Bucky, please, please can we just have sex?"  

"Are you begging?" he smiled against her neck. "You know my answer."

"How is this any different?" she whined. "This is basically just as much physical contact!"

"Your ribs would be too close," he told her as his teeth toyed with her sensitive skin. "And the impact would hurt them." 

"The impact from you fucking me?" she breathed, leaning her head back against the door. 

He stifled a moan and pressed his hips against her again, nodding. 

"So do it slowly," she whispered, skimming her hands under his shirt. "Fuck me slowly. For hours. Until we're both hot and tired and-"

"Open the damn door," Bucky growled, kissing her desperately and making it extremely hard to concentrate on finding her keys. 

"I can't find my keys," she said against his insistent mouth. "Where are yours?" 

"Back pocket," he told her, moving his distracting tongue down to lick over her jaw and make her shiver. 

She rummaged in his pocket, more than was strictly necessary to find the keys, and then unlocked the door, kicking it open frantically with her foot. They stumbled inside, and suddenly she had been spun around with her back pressed against the now shut front door. Kissing him just as hungrily as he was kissing her, she tore his shirt over his head, their lips resuming the fierce battle as soon as the material hit the floor. 

Bucky began to unbutton her blouse, but grew impatient and resorted to ripping it open. Alexus gasped against his lips as buttons flew across the hallway and a heavy moan left her lips - who knew ruining an item of her clothing would be so hot? But before she could dwell on the relative attractiveness of Bucky's muscular arms ripping away her clothes, his metallic fingers were already tending to the front of her jeans. 

She bit down on his bottom lip, causing his hands to clench suddenly against her thighs, and she quickly undid his own trousers and proceeded to shove them down his legs as he did for hers. They both kicked their unnecessary jeans away from them and each slid their eyes over the others form. Despite seeing Bucky naked before, his bare skin and lust filled eyes still filled her with a burning desire that was sent straight in between her legs. 

He stepped forward slowly, gaze lingering on her body as his hands found themselves on her hips, and he backed her slowly towards the sofa. Her knees buckled when they hit the soft cushions, but his hands didn't let her fall. Instead, he lowered her gently while placing soft, wet kisses to her neck and she smiled.

Once she was lent back, she tugged at his hair and pulled his lips to hers again, slipping her tongue out to meet his. His hands trailed fire over her skin, igniting every inch that he touched as he skimmed them round to unclip her bra, discarding it carelessly on the floor. Her nipples proceeded to be assaulted by him, his lips, his tongue, his teeth, his hands, until she was groaning and writhing above him, cursing his name under her breath. Once he had finished with her breasts, there were red marks all over them from his teeth, her face was flushed and her breathing heavy as he smiled up at her.

"You lose," she told him, wanting to wipe the far too confident smirk off his face. 

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?" 

Alexus tried to form coherent speech as his hands brushed softly lower and lower, over her stomach and hips- 

"You didn't last," she gasped as those skilled fingers, the ones that could assemble a rifle in under a minute, that could twirl a knife and throw a grenade trailed over her soaked through panties, so soft that they almost weren't there. "You caved." 

To her annoyance, instead of looking ashamed, his smile grew into an amused laugh while his fingers continued their journey up and down her thighs. 

"I'm not going to fuck you, Alexus," he whispered, leaning over her sprawled out body. 

"What?" she groaned. "We're both practically naked, and your fingers are a thin piece of cotton away-"

"Sh," he smiled, "stop worrying. Doesn't mean I'm not going to get you off." 

Alexus frowned, still dissatisfied, but then he moved back to kneel on the floor in front of her and spread her knees either side of his shoulder, and she got the feeling she wouldn't be at all dissatisfied. He hooked his fingers into her underwear and dragged them off. The heaviness of his gaze alone was enough to make her squirm, but his hands steadied her hips as he bent forward and began kissing her bare thighs. His hot, wet tongue licked across her skin and she dropped her head back against the sofa, hands finding purchase in his hair. 

Bucky placed a soft kiss to the bullet scar on her thigh, darting his blue eyes up to meet hers as he did so, before moving further up again until his hot breath washed against her wetness, making her gasp. Suddenly, his hands gripped the underside of her thighs and lifted them so that the backs of her knees rested on each of his shoulders and the rest of her legs dangled down his back. 

She would have been embarrassed at the volume of her moan when his tongue licked up along her entrance, but she really didn't care enough. All Alexus cared about was the way his tongue curled upwards at the end of each long stroke to rub against her clit, spreading her wetness over the sensitive nerves and sending jolts of pleasure to her stomach. Her breathing increased as his speed did, and he stopped licking her whole entrance and focused only on her clit while she groaned beneath him, bucking her hips up sharply to increase the pressure. 

"Fuck," she gasped as he introduced a finger to her entrance, sliding it easily in and curling it against her walls on the way out. "Bucky, fuck, oh god," she moaned, trying to keep control as his tongue lapped mercilessly against her clit and his finger pumped in and out of her steadily. 

He pushed a second finger into her, eliciting a throaty curse from Alexus, and then a third and his pace increased until his fingers were pounding in and out of her while his tongue and lips worked in time with his thrusts. Alexus' legs began shaking, and she couldn't hold back the constant gasps and moan that Bucky was drawing out of her as she gripped at his hair and arched her back. 

She could feel her orgasm building quickly, her breathing becoming heavier as his fingers hit her g-spot relentlessly, and his goddamn tongue; alternating between fast flicks over the nerves and drawn out, heavy licks, each furthering her pleasure and both making her curse like a sailor. 

"Bucky," she heaved, "fuck, don't stop... oh fuck..." 

And then she was tipped over the edge, falling into bliss as her orgasm rocked through her and was dimly aware of chanting his name through her release. His tongue didn't stop it's attack and his fingers didn't slow down and Alexus cried out at the harsh sensation as she came down from her orgasm. 

"Bucky," she groaned, tugging at his hair to try and pry his mouth away from her sensitive clit. 

But he stayed put, a slight smile on his lips that were wet from her arousement, and she had no choice but to writhe beneath him as his tongue lapped against her. The swollen nerve bundle was almost painfully sensitive, making her legs shake and her hands fist his hair harshly, but his unwavering pace soon had her nearing the edge again, crying his name out in desperation as her second orgasm hit her. 

Bucky's fingers slowed down, curling against her pulsing walls with less force as she gradually stopped shaking, and his tongue left her reddened and hot clit, his lips curling into a smile. She collapsed back against the sofa, her body feeling utterly drained and blissed out. 

"Enjoy?" She could tell he would be wearing a shit eating grin, triumphant and cocky that he reduced her to her current state without technically breaking his rule. 

"Immensely," she sighed happily, opening her eyes as he flopped himself next to her. "Thank you," she smiled and kissed him, long and hard, with all the energy she could muster. His hand raised to cup her jaw and he moaned into the kiss and Alexus dropped her hand to grip his rock hard length through his boxers.

"You gonna finish me off this time?" he asked against her lips as her light hands rid him of his underwear.

She smiled guiltily, "Promise." 

She pushed his chest lightly until her was lying down along to sofa, crawling over to nestle between his legs. She stroked him up and down a few times and then lent forward and licked a line up his shaft, flicking her tongue over his head. She repeated the action more fervently, earning a gasped exclaimation of her name, before she took more of him in. She kept on hand at his base, pumping up and down slowly, while her mouth tended to the rest of his length, drawing him in as far as she could and sucking for all she was worth. 

His hands were clenched in fists on the sofa cushions, his curses coming more frequently as her hands lightly traced over his balls and her tongue flicked over his sensitive head. 

"God, Alexus," he breathed, biting his lip. "Fuck, I can't- I'm close, fuck," he groaned. 

She increased her pace, moving her lips and tongue faster and gripping him more firmly in her hand, drawing him quickly to his release. He came with a string of curses and her name on his lips and soon tugged her gently up to his face. Alexus wiped a stray smear of his cum from her cheek as she moved to lie beside him, his sated and happy eyes following her. 

"You're amazing at that," he said, kissing her lips. 

"Years of practice," she shrugged and laughed as he scowled at her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to get the nex chapter up a lot sooner. Thanks for reading! As always, comments and reviews are very much appreciated :)


	23. Victims

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I'm experiencing slight writer's block at the moment. Hopefully i will soon be back to updating much more frequently.   
> Enjoy!

She also helped him pick out a new apartment for himself, courtesy of her and Steve's left over money from working for SHIELD. Bucky had felt it necessary to get his own place, to gain control in his life and make new memories and decisions as his new self. It helped with his guilt. He made sure it was close to Steve's apartment and even closer to Alexus', and despite it being perfectly nice, he hardly spent any time there.

During one of his common sleepovers at her house, she woke in the early hours of the morning to find his side of the bed empty. She groaned, knowing exactly where he would be. 

"Bucky..." she sighed softly, padding over to where he was sat tense and straight in front of her computer. She really shouldn't have shown him the Internet. "Leave this. There is no point in doing this to yourself." 

He didn't seem to hear her. "March 12th, 1968. A pacifist peace talker is shot and killed in Slovakia," he said, his voice low and laced with so much guilt it made Alexus want to stab something. "Her husband and daughter abducted, the husband's body found two days later and the daughter never seen again-" he broke off and covered his metal arm, the silver fingers clenching in disgust and horror. "It was me. So many deaths, so much blood, all of it was me-" 

"No," she cut him off fiercly, yanking his chair round and kneeling in front of him. "I will not let you take any blame for this. You are not responsible for those deaths anymore than the people being shot were. You and them, you're the same," she told him, reaching up to cradle his face in her hands. "You were both victims of Hydra." She dropped one hand to his metal arm, stroking up and down gently.

"They found one man," Bucky said in a broken whisper, "a senator, with his head twisted 180 degrees around. His daughter found him like that..." his voice broke and he began to cry. "I did that. This did that." He pulled his left arm away from her abruptly, his faced drawn in crippling grief. 

"Bucky, please, let me help you," she said, working to keep the panic and fear out of her words as she reached for him. 

"No!" he snarled, pushing the chair back violently and stumbling away from her outstretched arms. "I'm a monster! I kill people! No human has a metal arm," he sobbed, holding his left arm away from his body as if he weren't his. 

"You are not a monster, Bucky, and humans do have metal arms-" 

"No, they don't," he shouted, covering his face with his hands and crying into them. "I should burn in hell for what I did!" 

Alexus' jaw slackened and her heart pounded with fear; she had never seen him this bad before. She tried again with words, but he couldn't hear their meaning and the torrent of disagreements was making him worse, his knees buckling and allowing him to collapse on the floor in inconsolable sobs. 

There was nothing she could say to calm him down quickly. There was no quick fix or answer to his impossible questions, and there was no comfort that she could offer apart from herself. She crawled closer to him gradually - at first he wouldn't let her near him - until she could finally touch him. He resisted her for a few horrible moments, pushing at her arms and fighting her soft words, but then he seemed to collapse into her. His clawed fingers turned to fists that tightly gripped her top and his taught muscles curled around her as she absorbed his shaking sobs, holding him against her as he buried his head to her chest. 

He was apologetic in the morning, after she had coaxed him back to bed and held him all night. "There is absolutely nothing to say sorry for," Alexus told him firmly as she passed him a mug of tea with three sugars in it (Bucky, it turned out, had developed a sweet tooth and was now disgusted by coffee and beer). 

"I woke you up," he mumbled, "and you shouldn't have to take care of me like that..." he shook his head, eyes averted to his tea.

"I woke up cause you weren't in my bed, and I want to take care of you. That's what we do. You take care of me, and I take care of you. Got it?" she asked, managing to hold his gaze for a few seconds before she turned away, her cheeks reddening slightly.

There was a pause before his quiet voice spoke again, "Got it." Even though she couldn't see him, she could hear the smile in his words as she buttered her toast with a knife. 

"Oh, by the way, did you mess with my gun collection the other day?" 

While she was healing, Steve and Bucky had banned her from training, working out, fighting, practising with weapons and going out on her own. Unsurprisingly, this limited her daily activities to watching TV, reading or cleaning her weapons. She mostly chose the latter. 

"...No," he smiled with a slight frown. "Why?"

"I arranged them neatly after I'd cleaned them." Bucky smirked and she shot him a cold glance. "Can I remind you, I have literally nothing to do all day?" He chuckled and held up his hands in innocence. She sighed and carried on talking, "but then after you left and I was going to bed, they weren't how I left them." 

Bucky leant forward, his humourous teasing completely gone, replaced with an intense frown. "Were any doors open? Windows?" 

"No. I mean, I'm not an idiot. I stalked around the place with a 9mm for a good ten minutes, but there was absolutely no one here. And no sigh of a forced entry anywhere." 

"Why didn't you call me?" Bucky said tersely, his shoulders tense and his eyes angry. 

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Because I survived multiple assassination attempts long before I met you, and I had it under control."

"You could have been killed," he snarled, hands curling into fists. 

"Yeah, if there had actually been an intruder," she pointed out. "Which there wasn't." 

Bucky didn't relax. She sighed and walked around the kitchen counter to stand in front of him. Her arms looped around his neck and she smiled when he reluctantly placed his hands on her waist. 

"I shouldn't have left," he sighed, leaning his forehead against hers. 

"You went back to your apartment for one night, I think that's allowed." 

"I won't leave you again-" 

"I don't think you're quite hearing me," she muttered.

"The risk is too high." 

"Look, you decided to go home the one night I accidentally knocked over some knives without realising. End of story, okay? Forget I mentioned it." 

"I'm sorry," he murmered, kissing her cheek softly. She sighed at the contact and yearned for more, lower, wetter, quicker... Basically, what she wanted was for him to undress her with his teeth and fuck her up against the kitchen counter. "I just worry about you. You and Steve are all I have." 

She pulled her mind out of the graphic daydream and toyed with his hair. "You and Steve are all I have too," she reminded him with a smile. "It's kind of sad, really, we don't have any other friends. We're all loners. You especially, I think-" 

He stopped her talking by pressing his lips to hers, smirking into the kiss and tracing his hands further down until they rested on her bum. To her disappointment, he pulled away after a short time. 

"Guess what?" she smiled. 

"What?" he asked sceptically. 

"My last hospital check up is in five days, after which, I will technically be healed," she said, drawing out the last word and kissing him again, dragging her tongue over his lips as he involuntarily groaned. 

"Five days?" he asked against her hot mouth, his hands pressing her against him. 

"Yeah," she breathed, tangling her hands in his hair and tugging gently.

"Okay," he swallowed, "I think I-" 

"Need to have sex right now?" she interrupted him. "Yeah, me too."  

"I was going to say I think I can manage," he smiled. "Five days." He broke their kiss and smiled at her. 

"How are you doing this?" she shook her head. "Are you sleeping with someone else? Is that how you're resisting my allure?" 

He laughed, kissing her again chastely. "Maybe your allure is not very alluring."

"Nope," she shook her head and kissed him again, "that's definitely not it." 


	24. Neighbours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahem. Here goes. 
> 
> So basically i have been suffering awful writer's block the past few weeks and just haven't felt at all inspired to write anything about Alexus and Bucky, hence my reeeeally long gap between updates. But GOOD NEWS i was struck by a sudden idea and spent a few hours the other day planning out every single chapter left of this story, so from now on i should be updating a lot more frequently as i know exactly what i want to write :D 
> 
> In short: i'm sorry for disappearing for a while, but i didn't want to write a shitty filler chapter that no one would like. 
> 
> Also, thank you so much to everyone that has read, commented and given me kudos, you guys are the best!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

"You really don't have to come," Alexus said, glancing sideways at Bucky as she tapped her fingers against the steering wheel nervously. 

Bucky refrained from telling her to keep her eyes on the road as they whizzed round a corner at double the speed limit. "I want to," he said. "I mean, as long as you want me there." 

Alexus drew her breath in deeply. Her parents had died when she was young, and after that it had been a series of foster parents and people _trying to understand_ , and so she had always visited Harriet's grave by herself. It was what she was used to; her and her baby sister against the rest of the world. 

"I want you to be there," she nodded, more to herself than to him. 

Bucky pretended not to notice that she wasn't playing any loud music through the rental car's stereo system, and he also didn't comment on how her hands shook slightly when she threw the car in park and climbed out. They wandered between the rows of ageing gravestones, close, but not touching - Bucky didn't want to crowd her - and he couldn't help thinking he should also be lying here, deep underground along with everyone else born in 1917. 

Alexus came to a slow stop beside a gravestone that was newer and sharper than the ones that surrounded it. She bent swiftly and laid a single rose beside the gravestone, and wiped her eye in what she hoped was a discreet manner. 

"Tell me about her," Bucky said softly. 

Alexus was silent for a while, chewing on her lip, and he knew she was trying not to cry. "She was always popular. Everywhere she went, people loved her. She was pretty, but it was more than that. She was just good to the core," she said, her voice breaking slightly on the last word and Bucky stepped forwards and held her hand with his metal one. "And I was always so proud of her, because she never had a mum or dad, she only ever had me, but she still turned out okay," she said thickly. "She would have liked you." 

Bucky smiled sadly and squeezed her hand. "Sounds like she was an incredible person." 

Alexus nodded, teeth digging into her lip and her brows furrowing with the effort of holding back her sobs. "She would still be an incredible person if I had just protected her-" 

"Alexus, no," Bucky murmured, pulling her to him. "Remember what you told me? This wasn't your fault, you were both the victims." 

At that, Alexus began crying, earnestly sobbing into Bucky's chest as her hands clutched him desperately. Once she was done, she sniffed and wiped her eyes, looking at the ground as she stepped out of his arms.

"I hate crying," she muttered disdainfully. 

"I know." 

"Thanks for being here," she said stiffly, still not meeting his eye. "I didn't, uh... I didn't think I would be that bad today." 

"You don't have to thank me," he shook his head and kissed her check. "And you don't have to be embarrassed about crying." 

"But it's so unattractive," Alexus protested, sounding more like her usual self, "and unnecessary." 

"Sometimes you need to break down before you can start to build up again." 

Alexus turned to roll her eyes at him. "You got that off the Internet, didn't you?"

"Uh," Bucky squinted, looking upwards and shrugging a lot. 

Despite her sussing out he got his wise and profound advice from _www.lifequotes.com_ , Bucky knew he had done something right because on the car journey back to the city, Alexus blasted Nirvana through the speakers and rolled down all the windows.

*****

When they got back home, they found that the apartment opposite Alexus was being moved into by a new couple, who were in the process of trying to fit a sofa through the narrow door. 

"Jenny, I said turn it slightly to the left, and _then_ push-"

"Well, Michael, that isn't working! We need to move it back-"

"No, that will make it more stuck-"

"Stop turning your nose up at my ideas-" 

"Oh, _God_ , not this again-" Michael broke off his sentence when he saw Bucky and Alexus walking past. "Hi, there!" he smiled widely. Alexus disliked him immediately. 

"Oh, our neighbours, lovely!" Jenny squealed, her voice a full octave higher and lighter than a few seconds prior. 

"I'm Michael, this is Jenny," Michael said, offering a hand as Jenny attempted to climb a little too eagerly over their couch which was now lodged, forgotten in the doorway. 

"Alexus," Alexus gave a small smile and shook his hand, and then nodded to Bucky. "James." 

Michael turned and offered him his left hand, that same blinding smile on his face, and Bucky nearly pulled his metal hand from his pocket. He stopped himself at the last instant and instead withdrew his right. Michael's smile faltered slightly and he frowned slightly before switching hands and shaking Bucky's right one. 

Jenny, a small woman with alarmingly white teeth, landed clumsily on the floor of the hall after conquering climbing the sofa, and began talking about how they moved from Chicago after Michael lost his job and Alexus knew she wouldn't be able to remain polite to these people. And besides, they shouldn't be socialising with new, untrustworthy neighbours. 

"Well, anyway, me and James have gotta dash," she said, tugging Bucky's arm as she began to back away. 

"Oh, but-" Jenny frowned.

"We've got a lot of chores to do, you know how it is," Alexus shrugged, dipping her hand into Bucky's pocket and fishing out his keys.

"Oh, well maybe we could-" Michael began. 

 "But, um, good seeing you," Alexus waved, shoving open the door, reeling Bucky inside and then closing it firmly. 

"You still haven't found your keys?" Bucky said, gesturing to her hand that held his set with raised eyebrows. 

"No," Alexus replied. "I promise I'll find them soon. They're probably at Steve's place."

Bucky tutted but he did it with a fond smile that made her feel warmer inside. "On a more important note, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Bucky said. 

"That our new neighbours look and sound mind numbingly boring and annoying?"

"...Yes, but also that we should run a background check on them. Slightly weird, don't you think? Two new people move in right across the hall from you?" 

"Yes, heaven forbid people move apartment in New York," she said with a laugh, but Bucky frowned at her until she sighed. "If it makes you less worried, we'll take a look at them," she conceded.   
   
"Thank you." 

~~

One day later and Jenny and Michael looked to be nothing but a normal, straight laced, exceedingly irritating and ultimately bland couple who insisted on greeting both Alexus and Bucky with the words  _'howdy, neighbour!'_ anytime they had the misfortune to run into them. Despite their squeaky clean background, even Alexus became wary of them when the apartment next to her also saw the new arrival of a middle aged man and his 20-something year old son. It was too much of a coincidence, and so they were careful to always call Bucky 'James' and to never let them see Steve when he came over. Of course, they were also careful to keep two Glock pistols, a Magnum 45' handgun, several knives and a small canister of tear gas on the table beside the door, just in case. 

But Alexus had other things on her mind. More important things than whether their two new next door neighbours were plotting their assassinations. She had the task of trying to seduce Bucky Barnes. She had casually suggested showing him Star Wars, to which he agreed, and now he was waiting patiently on her sofa as she looked herself over in her bedroom mirror. 

The black silk and satin lingerie she had bought fitted her perfectly, offering almost no support, but she supposed that was the point. She was wearing impossibly thin stockings held up by suspenders that in turn were attached to a pair of beautiful silk panties that put every other pair of underwear she had ever worn to shame. A simple silk slip followed the slight curve of her waist inwards and then framed her breasts perfectly, revealing far more than necessary.

And, _damn_ , she looked good. Se would be seriously concerned if Bucky _didn't_ take the bait. She nodded to herself confidently and then walked into the living room as if she was wearing sweats and a t-shirt. 

Bucky's face was pure gold, displaying all the cliches; mouth open, eyes wide and no where near her face, eyebrows raised practically up to the ceiling. He managed to gain control of his features as she sat next to him, but she could feel his eyes on every inch of her and could see her hands balled into fists, aching to touch every inch of her. 

"You think this is funny?" he asked her in a throaty voice that absolutely dripped with desire and she shivered inwardly before looking at him. 

"Think what is funny?" she asked innocently, stretching her legs out so that they lay over his lap, and _hello!_ \- yes, her seduction plan was definitely working.

Bucky gazed at her a while longer, still finding it hard to keep his eyes on her face. "Nothing. Just play the film," he replied through gritted teeth.

Oh, this was fun. Alexus got up from her seat next to him and knelt beside the TV and Bucky realised what a mistake his request had been as he watched Alexus get onto all fours to reach the DVD player, facing away from him so that her bum, raised slightly in the air was almost directly in front of him. 

And, God, Bucky had been disciplined for years and knew the very essence of the meaning of self-control, but he was dangerously close to grabbing Alexus' hips, tearing the damned silk panties off of her and taking her against the wall, hard and fast. He let out a quiet, throaty groan and Alexus, now finished with the disc, smiled at his reaction before turning and crawling back to the sofa. 

He watched her with hooded eyes, not even bothering to hide his glaringly obvious erection as he watched her body, curvy and soft and hard and toned in all the right places. 

"So," she said, draping herself against his body and eliciting another whimper from him, "this is episode four, A New Hope. This is the way they were made, so this is the way we'll watch them. Then after episode six, we go back and do one, two and three."

Bucky honestly couldn't have cared less about what episode of what they were watching, and had never been so uncomfortable in all his life as he sat next to her, painfully aware of her warmth and his arousal. On screen, there was something about some guy called Luke and another guy dressed in black, but when the credits rolled, Bucky had absolutely no idea what he had just watched. 

He stood immediately, hands awkwardly trying to hide the fact that he was still half hard. "I'm, uh, going to have a shower," he told her in a raw voice. 

"A cold one?" she asked as he walked away, scowling as her chuckle followed him down the hall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, as always comments and kudos are very welcome :)


	25. Working Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know this update is so so late and I'm really sorry.I know I promised more frequent updates, but I just haven't had any inspiration to write recently, and I'd rather take longer to write something decent than force out something really awful. (Hopefully this isn't really awful...) 
> 
> So yeah, thank you everyone for your comments and kudos! And I'm really sorry this took so long. 
> 
> Enjoy!

"Ugh, I have to walk down all the stairs. Every single stair. Do you know how many stairs there are down to the lobby? A lot, that's how many," Alexus moaned as she pulled her shoes on. "All because the stupid elevator isn't working."

Bucky glanced up at her from his book with an entirely unsympathetic look on his face. "I'm sure you'll manage." 

"Why am I even going? The bones are healed, look," she pointed out, prodding herself in the ribs and then the collarbone. "I don't need a doctor to tell me I'm better."

"It's up to you whether you go, but I'm not sleeping with you until a medical professional has confirmed you're healed," Bucky shrugged, the picture of nonchalance as he returned his eyes to his book. 

Alexus narrowed her eyes and chewed her lip, eventually sighing in resignation and standing up. "Fine, I'm going." 

"Good," Bucky smiled, relief in his eyes. "I don't think I can stand this much longer." He stood and walked over to her, placing his hands lightly on her waist and kissing her. "I'll see you when you get back." 

~ 

As she predicted, her bones were completely healed. 

"So, you're good to go," smiled Doctor Neelson. He was a slightly nervous, slightly chubby man, around her age, who flirted with her awkwardly every time she came into the hospital. Today though, Alexus barely noticed his awful attempts at working non-medical topics into their conversation. Her mind was on other things. 

"Good to go for what?" she frowned absently, re-buttoning the top of her shirt (Neelson had asked her to unbutton far more than she thought was necessary while inspecting her collarbones). 

"Oh, your, uh, training," he puffed out his chest slightly, proud of himself for remembering this fact. "Remember?" he said, forcing out a high pitched laugh. "You kept asking when you'd be able to start working out again?"

"Oh," Alexus nodded, trying not to laugh. While she did miss training with Steve, she had been asking about physical exertion for an entirely different reason. "Yeah. Well, thanks, doc." She flashed him a smile and turned to leave. 

"So which gym do you go to?" 

"Sorry?" 

"Which gym do you work out in?" 

"The, uh, big one," she said. "You know, it has the, um, treadmills and stuff." Alexus cleared her throat, focusing on signing the form Neelson had given her. She didn't think it was wise to explain the gym she used was a private dojo where she and Captain America pretty much beat each other up and taught each other new moves in their free time (and also that the late James Barnes would be joining their sessions). 

"I think I go to the same one!" Neelson nodded. 

"Oh, I don't think-"

"You wanna meet up sometime? Maybe do some stretching together?" 

"Wow," she muttered, trying to erase that image from her brain. "Don't think my boyfriend would love that." She made her tone as final and definite as she could, which, considering she wanted to kick his shins, was surprisingly rational for her. 

"But you would love it, or...?" 

"Jesus," she said sharply, snapping her gaze up. "I'm not interested, alright?" 

"Right, yeah, sorry," he mumbled, holding his hands up. "I guess I'll, uh, just see you next week then..." 

She frowned. "Why?" 

"Need one last check up."  

She groaned inwardly. "Alright." 

"Can I get a hug?" 

"No."

~

The journey home was torture. Her leg jogged up and down like it did before a mission, adrenaline coursing through her veins and turning in her stomach, and all she could think about was Bucky, waiting for her back at her apartment. Naked, she hoped. 

She all but ran up the stairs, dignity out the window by this point, and cursed the broken elevator under her breath. 

"Alexus," Michael the neighbour smiled, coming out of his apartment. "How are you?" 

"Good," she said, "but I can't talk, sorry-" 

"Were you at the hospital?" The same smile was still settled on his face and his fingers twirled his keys with practised ease. 

"Yeah," she said absently, knowing Bucky was on the other side of the door. 

"Well, take care. Wouldn't want-" 

"Yep, thanks, bye!" she called quickly, shoving open her door with Bucky's set of keys. She never did find her own set. "Buck?" she called, not caring that she sounded out of breath as she threw her bag and coat down and kicked off her boots.

"Hey," he said, emerging from the living room and looking just as out of breath as her, which was saying something, considering she had run up four flights of stairs and he had been sitting on the sofa. "All clear?" His shoulders were tense as he walked over to her, stopping right in front of her, metal and flesh hands balled into tight fists. 

"All clear," she nodded. 

"Oh, thank god," he breathed, and then his lips were on hers and he had slammed her back into the wall, his hands clutching at every inch of her, trying to feel all of her at once. He ground himself into her desperately, their hips pressing together so hard it was almost painful, and Alexus could feel herself wet already. She fisted at his hair, tugging it and drawing groans out of him as his tongue delved into her mouth, hot and wet and filled with such unabashed want that it made Alexus shiver. 

Bucky moved his hips away slightly and his hands were immediately undoing the buttons on her jeans and shoving them down her legs. She kicked them off of her ankles and they landed somewhere behind him, but she couldn't concentrate or care on where because his cool metal fingers were already inside her underwear, and he wasted no time on teasing her or drawing it out, instead just shoving them into her and she gasped against his mouth. 

He carried on fingering her, movements forceful and hard, both things that she welcomed, and she managed to gain enough coherent thought to drag her hands away from his hair to undo his belt buckle. His pants and boxers were pulled quickly down his thighs, just enough to expose his straining erection and Alexus could feel herself arching into him, spreading her thighs unconsciously as they kissed with open mouths. 

He withdrew his fingers from her and then she heard tearing. Looking down, she saw he had literally torn her panties from her body, and Alexus had to stop herself from moaning because that had to be one of the hottest things possible. 

And then he was cupping her ass and lifting her to slam her back into the wall as her legs wrapped around his waist. He rested his forehead against hers briefly, lips grazing each others and chests rising and falling quickly as he guided his length into her, making them both gasp as he filled her up. 

"Fuck, I missed this," he panted, face buried into her neck. 

"Well, I tried to get you to do this sooner, but-" 

He cut her off by pulling out slightly and then thrusting sharply back in, sending spasms of pleasure through her body, and she grasped at his hair. "I was trying not to hurt you," he said against her mouth, his voice low and breathy and it sent pools of heat to her stomach. 

Whatever her reply would have been was forgotten as he started moving properly, his hands gripping her ass and thighs to hold her up as he set a fast pace, each thrust eliciting a broken moan from her. 

"God, Alexus," he mumbled in her ear, his hot breath washing over her cheek as his pace quickened and a guttural moan left his lips. His thrusts were so forceful they were making her back ache from being slammed into the wall each time, but the pain barely registered in her mind. 

Suddenly, he shifted her weight to rest completely in his left arm, and moved his other hand round to press firmly on her clit and she swore loudly, throwing her head back against the wall as he drew her wetness up and over the sensitive spot, rubbing and flicking it alternately as his hips pounded into her, hitting her g-spot with every thrust. 

Alexus could feel her orgasm building, not slowly or sweetly, but quickly and harshly and she could barely get the breath to tell him in a groan that she was close before it hit her, making her back arch against him, her legs shake and her walls tighten around him. 

He carried on with his fast pace, drawing out her pleasure until he couldn't hold on any longer and he came apart too, her name mixed with curses falling from his lips like a mantra as his thrusts slowed down. He came to rest completely inside of her, their bodies pressed together tightly. He drew his head back from where it was buried in her hair, his lips red and swollen and wearing a slight smirk as he kissed her lazily, hot, long drags of his tongue into her mouth. 

"That was really meant to happen after the date," he murmered, smiling at her as their noses brushed together. 

"We can do it again after the date," she smiled back as he pulled out of her and let her legs down. She would have laughed at how they both looked if she wasn't so blissed out - Bucky still wearing a t-shirt and jeans that were pulled half way down his thighs, his hair completely messed up from her clawing hands and her, wearing nothing but a shirt.

"How about we do it again now?" 

"You're on, Barnes."  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are much appreciated! I love hearing what you guys think. Is anyone getting suspicious yet?
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


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